


Winter Frost

by AlphaWolfofTexas



Series: Legacy of Frost Collection [1]
Category: Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Angst, BAMF Damon Salvatore, BAMF Dean, BAMF Dean Winchester, BAMF You, Blood Drinking 'cause duh, Damon Salvatore - Freeform, Dean Winchester - Freeform, Dean's feelings, Dean's thought's, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Good Boyfriend Dean, HunterYou, Hurt Damon Salvatore, Jealous Damon Salvatore, Jealous Dean Winchester, Loving Dean Winchester, Loving!Damon, No spoiling tags, Original Character Death(s), POV Change, Possessive Damon, Possessive Dean, Protective Dean, Sad!Damon., Slow Build, Slow Romance, Smut, bamf damon, mentions of torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-04
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2018-07-12 02:24:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 171,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7080973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlphaWolfofTexas/pseuds/AlphaWolfofTexas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your story has never been simple. But it got even more complicated when you started dating in the supernatural world. Damon Salvatore should be the last person to steal your Hunter Heart, but you just can't help it. He's just so.... amazing. But certain circumstances lead to a domino effect that makes your retired Hunter life rise back up to the challenge to protect the one's you love. Five years later, Dean Winchester is the perfect match. He's strong, brave, gorgeous and most importantly, he's a Hunter just like you. But when your present and your past collide one day your at a loss for what to do. Damon and Dean don't seem to belong in the same universe together let alone the same town. With the new threats occurring in Mystic Falls, it's impossible to leave without helping your old family. But it just might be too much as the tear you feel between the two men you love threatens to drive you insane.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Say Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so this first chapter is going to be just for Damon. A build in your backstory a bit. It's my first time posting so bear with me ok? I appreciate any Kudos and comments. Call me out on anything you think I should change. Ok, enough rambling, time to read!!

*Past*  
"Y/N, c'mon. Don't do this." Damon pleaded with you as he stepped into the bedroom and tried to stop you from packing your suitcase. You turned away from him as he tried to catch your eye, not wanting him to see the anger and deep annoyance settling in your gaze. Since you had woken up you had had this same conversation with him enough times that it felt like you were getting a migraine. Of course you didn't want to leave him, but what other choice did you have? A Hunter had died and now you were the prey. Staying in Mystic Falls, staying with Damon, meant that you would be putting all of your supernatural friends in danger. 'Fuck that!' You sneered angrily. There was no way in Hell you were going to let any of them be targeted.

The best thing you could do was leave and get the Hunter's that were looking for revenge to follow you well away from Mystic Falls. Unfortunately, that meant breaking Damon's heart so that he wouldn't think to follow _you_. "Damon, it's over." You said to him, the cold edge to your tone made your heart squeeze as you saw his face contort in pain. It was like you were speaking in the same cold as the winter winds beating against the house outside. It prompted you to try and soften the blow of your word's. "We had fun. It was great right?" You asked, and now you were hoping he didn't regret it. Because the years you had spent with him had been some of the best of your whole life. You had given up Hunting to live with Damon. You were living your dream with him though never gave up who you were. It had been a perfect compromise. "I wont ever forget it" The weak confession only served to spark anger in the ice white irises of his eye's.

"Fun?" He repeated and you could see the red bleed into the whites around his eye's as his fangs began to elongate. "It was more than **fun** Y/N. I fucking love you! How the _fuck_ could you say that everything we ever did together was just **fun**?!" He yelled and the pain in your heart grew but you couldn't reach out to comfort him. Protecting him rode on the fact that he wouldn't want you in his life anymore. It was apparent that he would fight against any emotional jab you would throw at him and it was far more likely that he would make you fold against a fight like that and you couldn't afford to loose this fight. So instead of emotional, you tried logical reasoning. "I can't risk staying here and putting anyone I care about in more danger. I have too many enemies that would just _love_ to string you and your brother and Caroline up in the sunlight and just watch you all burn." 

You shook your head and crossed your arm's over your chest. The mental picture of exactly that happening to Damon and your other friends blooming in your mind that instant made you sick to your stomach. "I'll die before I let anything happen to you. Or to Stephen or Elena or Bonnie or **ANYONE**!" You set your jaw and raised your chin to pointedly bore your gaze into his beautiful ice blue eye's. On this subject, you would _not_ budge.

Damon, apparently, could see that too as his fangs retracted and his eye's turned normal again. The look in them made you want to run into his arm's and tell him profusely that you changed your mind. That you would stay and the both of you could roll with the punches as they came. That you would find another way to keep everyone safe and stay by Damon's side. But you knew that was impossible. You knew the magnitude of the danger everyone was in and exactly what kind of devastation could occur should you stay. Vengeful Hunters rarely stopped to hear the truth. If the people chasing you found out you had anyone who wasn't human that they could exploit to hurt you, they wouldn't hesitate to round up all your friends here in Mystic Falls and make you watch as they were all tortured to death, while you couldn't do anything to save them.

"Y/N," Damon's voice was barely a whisper as he tried one last time to get you to see _his_ reasoning. But this was the logical route. This was the only choice and you both knew it. Even if Damon didn't want to accept it.

"Please don't leave me." Damon pleaded. "We can figure this out together. You don't have to leave!" His voice hitched and you could see he was desperate now. Too bad it didn't matter. His soft black hair fell into his bright, pain filled eye's as a layer of wet shine washed over his irises. "Please don't give up on all of this." He stepped forward and reached out and took hold of both your arm's like he wanted to just shake you to make you listen. But he didn't. He just held you as your gazes locked. "Don't give up on _us_."

You had no word's. Words had no place in this moment. Only action would get through to Damon. It had always been that way with him. And you knew the perfect way to get it through to him. You reached up and gently brushed his hands off of your arm's, took a step back to grab your zipped up suitcase, and, without looking him in the eye, muttered a quiet goodbye and walked around him out of the bedroom. 

You made it all the way to the door of the Boarding house when Damon appeared in front of you again and stopped your hand from pulling the door open. "Y/N, I'm not going to let you just walk away!" Damon snarled, his fangs peeking out from under his top lip. In response you squared your shoulder's and readied to start another full on argument with the vampire, but then, something silver and heavy was launched through the window in between the both of you. You both flinched back as the cold air and shattered glass came flying in towards you and your eye's locked on the canister that landed on the far side of the hallway against the wall. You instantly recognized it. 

"Get out!" You yelled, but as you ran to try and throw the canister out the window again before it went off, it popped open and vervain smoke filled the room. Something was shoved against the door to cover the broken window, keeping the vapor in where it couldn't dilute. "Damon!" Your mind instantly went to him as the whole house started to saturate with vervain filled vapor. The sound of more windows breaking and more thing's being shoved against the hole's assured that whoever was attacking the house was thoroughly making sure any vamp in the house wouldn't escape the poisonous cloud filling the interior.

You heard intense coughing in the distance and you got up and felt your way along the wall to try and find your best friend and now your ex-boyfriend. The cloud in the house thickened by the moment and it was beginning to burn your eye's. You squinted as much as you could and brought up the neck of your shirt to pull it over your mouth and nose. "Damon?!" You yelled for him and coughed out for him to answer you. You found him on the ground, passed out and slowly smoldering from the poisonous cloud wrapping around and caressing his soft milky skin. "No." You whispered and you moved to try and shake him to consciousness but someone suddenly came up from behind you and lifted you away from him. 

You let out a yell full of rage and expertly twisted your body in their hold, bringing up your knee to collide viciously into the ribs of the person gripping you. The man, as you could now see his gender through the smoke, dropped you as he reached to grip his torso in pain. You landed square on your feet and your body moved fluidly into your fighting position. That's when you saw the other two men behind the guy you kneed.

"We've been looking for you for a long time now darling." One of the new guy's said casually, his southern drawl more of a grating growl as he walked up in front of the first man still clutching at his ribs. "You're a hard one to find, missy." He smirked but you could easily see there wasn't anything playful in the dark gleam of his brown eye's. The fog in the house was starting to clear a bit from the slight struggle you had had with the first man a moment ago. 

Your main priority was to keep their attention on you instead of the unconscious vampire on the ground now beside all three of the well armed Hunters. Luckily, it didn't seem to be that they gave a damn about Damon and that was fine by you. "That _was_ the plan." You remarked as you slowly backed away, deeper into the house and hopefully, leading the three Hunters completely away from Damon. "You didn't think I'd make it easy for any of you hacks to find me did ya?" You tried to be snarky to get them riled up enough to the point that their sole focus would be on you. It worked.

The men all followed you step for step, never letting you gain more than three feet of distance the whole time. "You're right." The second guy, the one with blue eyes and greying black hair said with a disgusted sneer on his face as he followed your retreat. "We read your file and heard plenty of stories about you. You're the real McCoy alright. It took a lot of tracking and time and a few payments to some unsavory characters to find you but hey, it was soo worth the trouble." He grinned and reached behind him, pulling out a shiny new Glock and taking aim at you. You froze. "So you're not even going to give me the honor of actually defending myself?" You sneered at him, looking from the gun to the faces of all three men and back to the gun again.

"You lost that right when you decided to throw your lot in with monsters and got Clay killed." The man ground out, and now it was easier to see their faces since the smoke had dissipated a bit more. All three were Caucasian males around their early thirties dressed all in Hunter's gear and thick winter coats while holding guns pointed straight at your head. The first man had brown eye's, and thin brown hair which was mostly covered by a well stained baseball cap, and blue nylon jacket with worn and faded blue jeans. The other two dressed roughly the same way. The guy you kneed had hazel eye's and thick blond hair. 

And they all seemed to be comfortable about their positions at the moment.

"What happened to Clay was no one's fault but his own." You shot back angrily, taken aback by the accusation. "I told him to pack up so we could hit the road because that hunt was bogus. There was no threat from these people. We observed them for weeks before I decided it was nothing. _He_ was the one that didn't listen and decide to use an innocent girl as bait to lure them out!" You shouted, still slightly enraged and disappointed that your ex-partner had tried to finish a hunt that way. Hunter's didn't do that. They saved lives, not endangered them by putting them in the middle of something that dangerous. You licked your lips quickly before continuing. "Clay is dead, because of his own stupidity." Your voice was firm and you knew this was the end of the line for talking.

" **YOU BITCH HE"S DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!** " The first guy roared before his gun had shot up and corrected its aim, the man ready to put one between your eye's. That's when you moved, reaching behind you under your shirt and snapping your Bowie knife out of its sheath before flicking it out expertly, not even aiming as the knife flew from your hand to bury itself to the hilt into the second guy's heart. His eye's widened and looked down for a second to stare at the knife in shock before looking back up to lock gazes with you again before falling to his knees then onto the ground on his side.

From there, chaos. The last two Hunter's quickly raised their own revolver and shotgun and you jumped backwards out of the line of fire as they let the bullets rip through the space you had been standing in not a few seconds before. The men kept firing as you pressed your back against the wall firmly and forced yourself into calmness as you reached for your other two knives strapped to your calves in each of your boots.

You heard their footfalls getting closer and closer and you had a faint idea to run before a bullet ripped through the wall behind your shoulder. You yelled out in agony as the bullet lodged itself into your right shoulder blade, causing you to drop the knife in that hand.

Suddenly, the men were right there, and their guns were pointed flush to your skull. There was no time to evade, or attack. So instead, you closed your eye's. Whispering a silent farewell to Damon as you prepared to face your death. Then........ an empty click of the gun chamber.... a few seconds later three more rapid clicks followed by a pump of the shot gun and another two empty clicks. You opened your eye's wide as you stared into the barrel of two guns shoved into your face. You could almost laugh at how fucking lucky you were. It didn't take long for instinct to kick back in after that.

Ignoring the pain in your shoulder you reached for the knife that had fallen and thrust it forward into the leg of the guy you kneed earlier. Making him cry out and fall back on his ass. Giving you the room to leap to your feet and jam the point of your second knife into the throat of the other man. You didn't look in his eye's as he fell. You knew he was already dead and you didn't need another ghost to haunt your sleep. Instead, you pulled your knife free and walked over to the man still clutching at his thigh and groaning in pain. You kneeled down next to him, reaching for the fallen revolver and throwing it as far away as possible. It was empty, but anything heavy could be used as a weapon.

You looked down and glared coldly into the mans pain filled eye's. "You should have just left me alone." You growled out hatefully. "You should have just left me the hell alone!" The guy had the gall and the strength to still laugh. "You think your safe?" He asked, a grimace that you thought was his attempt at a smile molded onto his lips. "You have no idea how many Hunters are on your ass little girl. We thought we could handle you, so we didn't tell any of the other groups that we found you or where you were. But believe me, they'll all find you soon enough." He coughed and glared up at you, his eye's growing cold now. "And then, You'll be just as dead as Clay." He drew in a deep breath. "Just as dead as us." He laughed and the coughing fit returned.

You reached over and gripped the knife in his leg, holding it firmly as you twisted it and lifted to remove it from the appendage. He screamed in pain and you shut down all feeling in your heart as you positioned the knife over his chest. The flicker of fear you saw in his eye's was slightly satisfying after having listened to his cocky speech. 

There was no witty comeback on your tongue. No malice as you gazed down at him. Only the need to remove an inconvenience. "They have to find me first." You said in a dead monotone. "So let them try." You challenged as your hand plunged downward, burying the slender knife into the man's heart. He gasped, choking out his pain, before he went limp beneath you hand. 

*****

You had taken the time to air out the house as you pulled all three bodies out back and burying them in some pre-made graves. Drenching the men's bodies in salt and gasoline and lighting the fire to ensure no malevolent spirit's arose from this. After moving the dirt back into the grave and patting it down you returned tot he Boarding house. Damon was still unconscious, though now turned over onto his back, and your heart felt no less heavy that this was your fault.

"They'll just keep coming for me Damon." You whispered to his unconscious form. "If I stay here then this'll just happen again and again until they either kill you or kill me." You shook your head, year's worth of unshed tears stinging your eye's as they begged to be released. But you never cried anymore. You hadn't for a very long time now. "I wont be responsible for any of your death's." And with that, you lifted your bag up onto your uninjured shoulder and tightened your jacket around your body, careful of the wrap you had put around your wounded limb, to fend off the cold you would face outside.

Without looking back, you opened the door to the Boarding house, walked through the threshold and closed the door behind you. Walking away from one of the only good memories that you had ever had in this life, and perhaps the only one you ever really will have again.


	2. What Comes Due

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now we get to Dean. Five years after leaving Damon and Mystic Falls behind, you run into the Hunter as well as a few other people from your past.

*Present*

*Five Years Later.*

You threw your keys to your Challenger on the nightstand beside the dusty Motel bed before flopping down in the wooden chair at the small folding table in the corner.

It was just one of those nights that everything was just starting to weigh on your mind. You had come out to New Orleans to take care of a werewolf problem just outside of town and you had managed to track the pack and put them all down fairly quickly. An easy hunt that had only lasted about two and a half day's. Now, you were just taking some time to collect your thought's. 

It had been five whole years since you had left your home in Mystic Falls and the sense of family you had formed there. But you refused to allow your mind to wander to feather light black hair and eye's either as blue as the ocean or as light as ice chips. You knew there were still Hunters out there who were looking for you. To make you pay for a crime you didn't commit. But you kept your head low and did your job while you waited for someone to come knocking on your door. 

You rubbed your forehead, trying to stave off the migraine you could already feel pressing forward behind your eye's and each temple. You dropped your hand and rolled your head to look over at the sink counter in the kitchen, your gaze settling on the bottle of Johnnie Walker Blackout you had bought when you first got to town. A sigh escaped you as you realized you needed a drink but the whole bottle was empty. "Dammit." You bit out in frustration as your hand came up to rub at the old bullet wound scar behind your right shoulder. It had started to become a tradition. Drinking everyday was just part of the normal routine now that you had to engage in something that wouldn't bring your mind back to soft lips and a muscled body waiting for you every night. 

A weird noise almost like a growl escaped you as you sat back in your seat for a moment more, hanging your head backwards over the back of your chair and closing your eye's in contemplation. You debated whether you should just go find a bar or just head to sleep instead. After realizing that if you went to bed now that your dreams would be full of the Boarding house and all the friends you left behind, the bar won out. 

You quickly got to your feet and changed your shirt that was still covered in werewolf blood before grabbing your black leather jacket and the key's to your baby boy Bastian. Quickly checking to make sure that the Bowie was secure at your back and your smaller blades were fastened tight to your ankle's, you locked the door to your Motel room and got into Bastian's front seat, turning the key in the ignition to listen to the purr of the R/T engine. With a smile on your face, you threw Bastian in gear and headed out to find a good bar.

*****

The bar you found was a Bar and Grill joint on the outskirts of town. Parking was only in the back in a lot between the Bar and another building. Only one twitchy street lamp lit up the lot but it didn't really make you uncomfortable. You'd been to plenty of places where there wasn't even that type of lighting. The front of the building was practically on the street as it was. You parked the silver painted Challenger in the back against the other building. What could you say, you were protective of your car. You got out and checked that you had all of the necessities. Wallet, cash, fake credit cards and ID to match before locking up the car and heading over to the other side of the bar to go inside. You tightened the jacket around your body and quickly gathered your hair up to tie a thong around the loose strands before walking into the dank little bar. 

Inside it looked dingy and the lighting was awful everywhere but at the bar itself. The smell was that of rotting wood and growing mildew but your nose was still filled with the stink of the werewolf den and smoke from dispatching the whole pack and then burning the remains not two hours ago so you didn't really mind it all that much. You walked up to the bar and sat at one of the vacant stools, flagging down the bartender as he shambled over from behind the bar.

"What can I get you Cher?" The burly bartender asked as he leaned on the counter to face you, a warm grin displayed on his scruffy bearded face. You had to admit, you didn't meet too many polite people outside of dealing with families that had lost someone you promised them you'd find so the politeness from this random guy just seemed to put you more at ease as you gave him back a slight smile. You ordered a rum and coke as something easy to start off with and brought your arm's up onto the counter to lean against as you waited. Your hand's clasped together softly. Then.....

"S'cuse me, can I get two brews please?" A deep voice sounded directly to your left and you tensed. You hadn't even heard the guy walk up behind you. You glanced sideways ever so slightly and mapped out his face quickly before turning back to look at the wood beneath your arm's. Light sun kissed skin, chiseled facial features, short cropped sandy blond hair, light freckles from one cheekbone to the other and....... gorgeous bright green eye's. An involuntary gasp had escaped you and you instantly berated yourself that is was too loud a noise, even as the bartender bellowed he'd "Be there in a second sir!". Evidently, the newcomer didn't miss it either. 

"Hey there." The man's voice rose an octave, giving it a soft undertone of interest that was too broad to miss. "What's your name, if you don't mind my askin'?" His voice was slightly accented but it was too weak for you to place. You knew he was waiting on an answer. You knew by the way you could feel his gaze heating on your cheek, waiting for you to turn so he could see your (y/e/c) eye's. 

After a moment, curiosity got the better of you, and you turned in your seat to face him. 'Wow.' You thought as you got the full view of his face and was able to map it better than the glance you had had earlier. But you kept going back to his eye's. Something about them were so damn familiar, but you couldn't for the life of you figure out what it was. But they made you calm, and even worse, they made you drop your guard. But you still had enough wit to disguise yourself......... At least a bit. "Crista Rourke." You said confidently, the lie rolling off your tongue as easy as if you had given him your real name.

"Crista Rourke huh?" The guy smiled and his perfectly straight teeth made for a dazzling smile. "Nice to meet you Crista. My name's Dean Harper." He said with just as much ease as he reached out his hand to shake yours. You reached out and took it, both of you shaking firmly before the bartender came back to drop off your drink and 'Dean Harper's' beer mugs. "Nice to meet you too Mr. Harper." You said in a somewhat neutral tone, trying to hint to him that you wanted to be left alone and not play the guy's game of 'Seemingly-easy-pick-up'. When his smile stayed in place, you motioned to his two drink's still sitting beside his elbow currently leaning on the bar.

"Were you thirsty tonight or something?" You smirked to soften the words and cover the fact that your voice had just been in complete bitch mode. He didn't seem to catch it though as his eye's went from the beer and back. "No actually, I'm uh, here with a friend of mine." He said as he shifted his chin in the direction behind you. 

You turned and caught sight of a guy with really long brown hair who looked intimidatingly tall even though he was sitting at a low standing table. A strange look marred his face and a critical gleam spread through his hazel eye's as he watched the two of you for a moment before shaking his head and turning back to his....... 'Is that a salad?' You think suddenly as you notice the pile of limp looking greens and chopped tomatoes with a side of ranch nestled on the plate along side everything.

'Oh you poor guy, you're gonna get dysentery from that if you eat it.' You thought and proceeded to comment that out loud to Dean, who then chuckled slightly. "Yeah, the guy is bound to get a bug if he eats at a random Bar and Grill that looks and smells like this place does." He said softly so that he didn't offend anyone around you. That elicited a small laugh from you too. 

*****

It had been a great night. You had talked with Dean for most of it before he invited you to sit down with him and his friend, Sam Hennigan. You had all made polite conversation and small talk mostly. Dean had supplied that he and Sam were in New Orleans to check on a job opportunity for the business they were both in. Something about managing and pest control. That's all you had heard because it was apparent you kept zoning out when you looked at Dean. It was so easy to just get lost in his voice and his eye's. And hey, the guy was just drop dead gorgeous with a capital H.O.T. When you zoned back in you heard him saying that apparently when they got to the interview the job was no longer available and they were no longer needed. He said that he and Sam would be heading back home in the morning. 

Dean then asked you if you were local and you could see the remainder of the conversation would be closing up pretty soon. You shook your head and casually said that you had been in town on business of your own and now that your job was done you would be heading out in the morning as well. Dean did little to hide how bright his eye's got at the thought of a drifter hookup tonight but each time he hinted at it, you just chuckled and waved him off, claiming a lame joke that you were celibate. Which he completely thought was a riot until he understood you weren't going home with him tonight. The guy was totally a catch and obviously interested..... but you knew better than to indulge in _every_ aspect of the Hunter life style. 

After about four Flaming Dr. Pepper shots and two Rob Roy's you ordered two waters to help dilute the alcohol to sober you up, a plan Dean evidently hated since he was the only one drinking to feel the buzz. You gave him a sweet apology but you had to be able to make it back to your motel room. After a few more jokes and flirty glances from a slightly tipsy Dean and an apology glance from a very much sober Sam which you dismissed with a smile, you rose from your chair and bid the two men goodnight. "You gonna be alright?" Sam asked as he positioned himself to get up so that he could most likely walk you to your car. You shook your head and motioned for him to sit back down which he did reluctantly. "Yeah, I'll be fine." You glanced down to check your watch and saw it was barely rounding out to midnight. You had gotten to the bar at 8:40. 'Time fly's when your having fun.' You thought with a smirk.

You smiled again to both men, Dean giving you an adorable side smile before you said goodnight to him again before heading to the door. It was hot as fuck outside and you immediately shed your jacket, cursing that New Orleans was the inner circle of Hell as you folded the leather jacket and walked to the back parking lot to get into your car. You didn't make it into the car though.

Suddenly you heard something heavy whistling through the air behind you and instinct took over as you dropped to the ground and threw a kick backwards that you could feel your foot connecting with soft flesh and making whoever had attacked you drop the weapon in their hand's and cry out in pain as they fell to the ground. You rose to full height and spun to get a look at whoever you had kicked. A man around thirty years old was on the ground rolling back and forth, clutching his crotch in a fettle position as he whined. Just as you were about to speak to him, you were tackled to the ground roughly. Your jaw connecting with the rough pavement. 

You shook off the residual dizziness and the ache in your jaw as you tasted blood before looking up at two other men that began to pick you up from the ground and lift your body up. One grabbing your legs in a tight hold while the guy who had tackled you zip tied your hand's together behind your back as well as your leg's. You struggled vainly as another man came up and slapped your left cheek hard enough for you to see stars and cough up more blood out onto the cement beneath you. Your ears were ringing and you could see the world spinning as the man that slapped you leaned down into your face, exposing his own familiarity to you. 

"Patrick?" You asked, half dazed and in pain. "What the hell are you...." "Shut up Y/N. You don't speak unless we ask you a question." Patrick sneered as he motioned for the men to search you. It didn't take long for them to remove your Bowie and the two dagger's in your boot's. One of the men who was obviously enjoying searching you ran his hands over your breast's and then squeezed. You glared at him when he smiled and quickly head butted the guy. Pain was instant where your forehead connected with the bridge of the guy's nose but you were happy to deal with it when he stumbled back and gripped his bleeding nose, crying out that you had broken it. That earned you a swift drop to the asphalt and a sharp kick to the ribs that knocked the wind out of your lung's.

Blood splattered from your mouth again but you never once cried out. It would only encourage them to keep going. Patrick ordered his men to stop and when they did he kneeled down to look into your face again. "We heard that Joseph and his crew disappeared about five year's ago Y/N. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that now would you sweetheart?" Patrick growled out the question and you could tell he already knew it was you who had killed them. Lying would solve nothing and running was no longer an option just like fighting. So why not tell the truth?

Your cheek scraped the ground painfully as you looked up at him. You were scared. Of course what moron wouldn't be scared at this point, but you wouldn't back down. And you also wouldn't lie.

"Yeah, sure, I met those pathetic excuses for Hunters." You snarled at them. "They did the same thing you guy's are doing now. Killing a fellow Hunter when she doesn't have a chance to defend herself seems to be some odd kind of kink for you fuck heads huh?" You questioned and the reaction was instant. Patrick's face scrunched up in hatred as he raised his hand again. He rewarded your question with another slap that split your lip in the corner of your mouth. The rusty smell of blood as more of it dripped down your chin started to make you sick to your stomach. It was human blood. And the fact that it was yours getting knocked out of your body by people that were supposed to be your friends made it that much worse.

A small cry escaped you before you were gripped roughly by the collar of your t-shirt and hauled up onto your knee's, your hands powerless to defend with and your leg's rendered immobile.

The cold, sharp edge of a silver blade being pressed against your neck and cutting a thin line just above your curated artery made you freeze in your struggle to get away from Patrick's unforgiving hold. Fear swept over you but you hardened your gaze to glare Patrick down even as he bared his teeth at you in a silent snarl. "Beg God for mercy Y/N." He said before pausing the slow press of the blade into your throat. 'What the hell, might as well go down swinging.' You managed a humorless laugh. "Me and the big man ain't really on good term's right now, so I think I'll pass." You scoffed. 'Yeah, that's a good line Y/N. Awesome.' You relented and relaxed in the painful hold.

The blade pressed harder against your throat and you looked into Patrick's eye's as he glared back at you. But then, just as the blade was about to run across your throat, the sound of a knife whizzing through the air and burying itself into Patrick's back rand out in the silence.

With a surprised gurgle, Patrick fell to the ground, taking you with him as an all out brawl erupted in the empty back parking lot of the Bar and Grill. When you squirmed away from the now dead body and looked up again to see what was happening, you met beautiful green eye's full of worry and no trace of the earlier buzz still left in them. "Hey, look at me. Are you alright?" Dean asked frantically as he cut your legs free. "Are you hurt?" He asked as he reached for your restrained hand's next. But before he could cut the zip tie's another one of the guy's with Patrick came up and yanked Dean away from you.

Panic set in as you rolled over and swung your leg's to sit up quickly just as the man grappling with Dean pulled out his own blade and tried to plunge it into Dean's throat from his position straddling Dean's hip's. You got your leg's under your body and pushed up to stand to rush at the pair. Thinking that the least you could do was bowl the guy off of Dean before someone gripped the zip tie around your hand's and yanked you back so fast you slammed, back first into the brick siding of the building next to the bar.

The air knocked from your lung's, all you could do was try to get it back, but someone suddenly clamped their hand's around your throat, making it impossible to breath. It was the guy you had head-butted. He was also pointing another knife directly over your left eye. "Your not getting away this time, you fucking bitch." The guy snarled as though he were one of the monsters you hunted. "This time, your gonna pay!" He yelled and pulled the knife back, his aim intent on your eye. Out of instinct, you shut your eye's and turned your head, asphyxiation being the last thing on your mind now as you waited for the pain, or darkness. But neither came.

When your eye's opened again and you looked forward, it was to the sight of Dean holding the newly limp body of the broken-nose guy, now with a broken neck to match. Sam walked up beside Dean at that moment, a bloody knife in his hands as well. Dean dropped the body without sparing a glance as he stepped closer to you. You shrunk away, unsure if he was just going to take this opportunity to dispatch you himself, but he just put his hands un in a surrendering gesture and slowed his approach to one full step every four seconds.

"Easy Crista," He crooned softly as if he were afraid you might bolt. "'M not gonna hurt you sweetheart." He promised and the tone was so sincere that slowly, you began to relax. You stayed still and he moved to your side, reaching out to press on your right arm indicating that he wanted you to turn slightly. You did and he pulled out his knife again to cut the zip ties still holding your hand's together. When they were free he stepped away as you turned to him and Sam while rubbing your wrist's to relieve some of the burn.

You sighed in relief before running your hands over the cut on your lip then the one on your throat, pressing against your bruised ribs and back up to the scrape on your cheek. Your hand came away covered in blood but you didn't really care. That didn't matter. What mattered was that the two men in front of you had saved your life. So, you smiled at them to acknowledge that. "Thank you both. You saved my life." Your tone was solemn and respectful.

Dean did a quick scan of all the injuries you had sustained before answering. "No problem but," he hesitated. "Why the hell did they try to kill you?" He sounded more angry than curious but you answered as best as you could as your eye's tracked all of his injuries too.

A scrape on his left cheek bone. "I've met them before, in another life." A cut at his hairline. "We were in the same business together before I quite to change career's." A bruise blooming on his right cheek. "People got upset over that I guess." A rip in his forest green t-shirt revealed a long gash that soaked the material in blood as well as flashed a bit of the skin on his thick pectoral muscle. You stepped forward to stand directly in front of him. "That look's bad." You commented as you reached up to grip the tear in one hand, ready to pull it to the side to reveal the wound.

Before you could, Dean gripped your hand gently and said, "Naw, it's fine. Just a scratch, really." He puffed out his chest slightly, opting for manliness instead of logical reasoning. You huffed at him. "It'll be an infected scratch if you got anything from this disease ridden parking lot into it. At least let me wash it out before any bacteria set's in." You prodded and after a moment of surprise passed through his gaze, he relented. You looked off to the side looking for your jacket with the travel sized bottle of peroxide in the pocket but Sam instantly stepped forward and offer's you a metal flask. You grin at him, commenting that they had just been in a bar and he had a flask with him.

You thanked him, then turned back to Dean. You ripped a piece of cloth from your still surprisingly clean sock before dabbing it with the alcohol. "This may sting a bit." You comment, feeling a slight blush warm your cheeks as you prepared to touch Dean while he continued to stare at you intently. He noticed the blush and softly chuckled before nodding, his green eyes gaining an amused sparkle. You grabbed the rip in the shirt again and tugged it to the side to reveal part of the gash. You were right, it had grit covering the opening and even slightly inside the shallow but still bleeding wound. 

You frowned when your eyes caught the corner of a tattoo design. It looked somewhat familiar. You pulled the shirt further back to reveal more of the tattoo and then your hands suddenly froze. Dean had the anti-possession tattoo. Something only a Hunter would have on their bodies.

You went back in your mind to the moment you met him. The introduction of his name. The story of a lost job in town. How a knife came flying out of nowhere just to end up in Patrick's back. The calm he seemed to have in a fight with armed men. The guy with the broken neck and now this tattoo?!

You shoved him away, dropping the cloth and the flask as Dean was shoved backwards into Sam. They both looked taken aback but you didn't look as you lunged for the knife that the guy with the broken neck had dropped when he died, rolling and leaping back up to your feet with renewed battle energy.

"Crista, what the hell?" Dean said incredulously. "What's wrong?" He tried to take a step forward with his palm's outwards since you were now on full alert with a sharp blade in your hand. "Stay Back!" You ground out at him, every muscle now tense to respond to fight or flight. "You can't trick me **DEAN** or whatever your name is. I've been in this game for far too long to fall for something like that!" You really just felt insulted now for them to think you wouldn't make them as soon as you saw that tattoo.

Crista, again, what the fuck is wrong?!" Dean asked in a believably confused voice. "What the hell is going on?" You huffed again, this time with more contempt. "Did you really think I wouldn't know what that tattoo meant? You're just like them!" You yelled as you motioned to the dead bodies scattered around the parking lot. "You're a Hunter!" You yelled out and the look in his eye's was damned near comical. If the situation wasn't as dire as it was you might have laughed. Instead, you raised your knife higher and prepared for a fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, cliffhanger's suck right? But hey, you'll thank me later!


	3. Not All Hunters are Jerks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, fair warning to all of you lovely reader's, there will be quite a few points in this story line where your character will know or have the ability to do something that they shouldn't. Hold those bits in the back of your mind as you read on. Each secret will be unveiled and elaborated on as the story continues in order to tie together at the end. Trust me, you'll notice the subtle little hints and might even guess the mystery about yourself before the story even end's! It's more fun that way, I promise. Happy Reading!

For a moment, all you two did was stare at each other. Dean's jaw went slack and his mouth yawned open enough for his tongue to dart out and swipe along his lips to wet them. You found that your eyes were drawn to the movement but then they darted back up to lock with his gaze again. The grip on your knife only tightened that much more when you saw the hard glint in his eyes slowly drawing out to the surface.

"How did you..." His voice trailed off as the rest of his confusion was suddenly replaced by angry skepticism. "How do you know about Hunters?" His voice went down two octaves to sound more menacing as it tinted with cold reproach. His eyes did a quick scan of the bodies laying all around the parking lot before coming back to settle on you again. Rage was an easy enough emotion to decipher in his beautiful green irises. 

"These guys were all Hunters." He stated and the knife he had used to cut you loose earlier came up to point directly over your heart. "Does that mean they were hunting you because you're a monster?!" Dean nearly snarled as he and Sam took a step towards you. 

Now you were just confused. He wasn't after you? He didn't know? 'What the hell?' The thought was strange. What Hunter would have willingly killed Hunters that attacked a monster? It didn't make sense that he would protect you if he had known who you were. Even if he wanted to kill you himself, why pretend all the way up till now?

"What?" You exclaimed before you could trap the word in your throat. "No, I'm not a monster. I'm a Hunter!" You glared at both men as they straightened taller as you growled the information out. "Isn't that why you were trying to talk to me in the bar?" You accused and you saw Dean's eyes widen when you said it. "You recognized me, right? Hoping to take the glory of killing me for yourselves?" You straightened your shoulders and set your mouth in a sneer.

"Well, like I told the other son's of bitches that wanted to kill me for a crime I didn't commit, I'm not going down without a fight!" You yelled and prepared to lunge at the pair when the feel of a cool breeze washed over the back of your neck and something like rolling thunder and rustling feathers sounded behind you. Uncharacteristic weather for the inner circle of hell that was New Orleans.

When you spun around to face whatever or whoever had managed to get behind you, you were met with the sight of a dark haired man in a trench coat and suit with eyes like polished sapphire's. Before you could make the knife in your hand twitch in the man's direction, he reached up and pressed two fingers to the center of your forehead. A slight pressure spread out through your skull and everything went black, the last thing you remembered, was the feeling of falling.

******

When you came to, you felt completely disoriented. Your head was spinning and your mouth was dry and scratchy as if someone had hit you over the head with a bucket of sand. Two coughs escaped you before you could gather the strength to open your eyes, groaning out a protest when evening light blinded you.

You shut your eyes and rolled over onto your other side. Your hand automatically reached out to the nightstand beside the motel bed where you had put your keys, trying to motivate you into getting up so that you could throw your bags into Bastian's trunk and get the hell out of New Orleans.

But when your fingertips only groped air, your eyes shot opened again and you bolted upright on the small cot you were laying on. Deep aches and pains racked your whole body but you ignored it at the moment to allow your eyes to bounce off of your new surroundings. 

A desk lay directly in front of you with countless of open books and hand written notes and translations scattered across the top of it. A full bookshelf also sat right behind it. You moved to stand but when your body folded, instant agony shot from your ribs and your stomach down to your waist. You looked down and saw the linen wraps around your wrists and all the blood splattered across your shirt and jeans. One hand moved to press against your side and the other came up to trace the bandages covering your cheek and a cut over your right eyebrow.

The events of what transpired the last time you were conscious flooded back to you and panic instantly set in. Heavy footfalls echoed around the empty space of the house and you tensed at the warning that people were coming. Your eyes darted around the room and landed on a silver letter opener that was laying on the desk with all the notes. 

You snatched it up and wrestled with your fear to calm your nerves. You were in a strange place. You didn't know where you were, and you were completely unarmed other than the small letter opener. You scooted back on the cot to press your back against the wall. The window behind you was too much of an inconvenience to try and break open to escape out of before someone managed to rush in and find you. You opted to stand your ground and take your very low chance at getting out.

There were two openings into the room you were in and within seconds, two men came through both of them. Dean had come out through the opening closest to you and noticed the letter opener in your hand automatically. "Hey, wow!" He exclaimed as you took your first swipe at him, his hands going up in a display of surrender. 

"Stay the hell away from me!" You ground out as Sam and Dean were shoved further into the room by two other men. One was the trench coat man that you presumed had knocked you out in the parking lot. The other was someone you already knew and recognized. "Bobby?" Your voice came out as a whisper of breath as your eyes widened and the letter opener fell from your hand to clatter to the ground. The residual shock had just been too much to actually keep a grip on it.

You shook your head in disbelief. " **YOU'RE HELPING THEM**?!" You wanted to scream at the older man. He was supposed to be your friend. You had thought you could trust him. Instead he just shook his head sadly. "Y/N, c'mon now. It ain't like that kiddo..." Bobby tried to explain before you cut in. "You're really gonna try to lie to me now?" You sneered in anger. "I have eyes Bobby. I can see that I'm not in New Orleans anymore!" Your gaze snapped to the man with the polished sapphire eyes who watched you through narrowed vision from the corner of the room.

"You knocked me out and kidnapped me!" You accused before swinging your gaze back around to glare at Dean who had suddenly stepped closer but he wasn't looking at you. His eyes were focused on Bobby instead. 

"Bobby, what the hell is going on?" He asked as he cut his gaze to you for a second before going back to Bobby again. "How do you know Crista?" His Adam's apple bobbed as he tried to swallow past the uncomfortable situation and the new tension that had settled in the room. Bobby shifted uncomfortably in his place against the far wall.

"Yeah." The older man admitted as he sighed heavily before walking closer to drop into the chair that was tucked under the desk. He looked you in the eyes as he continued to speak to the three men as well as you. "Let's all just, calm down for a second and take a breather, alright?" He asked and his surly gaze ran around the room at everyone. "This is Y/N Frost, and she's one of the greatest Hunters I've ever met."

*****

Castiel removed his fingers from where they had been pressing against the center of your forehead and stepped back from you. You sighed in relief as all the pain in your body instantly faded. You raised one wrist to unwrap the linens around them, finding no ligature marks or cut or red skin. You looked back up at Castiel and voiced a wary and awkward thank you. He nodded in acknowledgement before moving to take up the chair at the other desk in the corner across from your cot.

You had found out that Dean and Sam were actually brothers. The Winchester brothers. Castiel had also introduced himself as an 'Angel of the Lord.' It had done little to settle you around him and after the fact that he had rendered you unconscious in New Orleans by pressing two fingers to your forehead, you had been less than eager to allow him to do the same thing again. 

But after some coaxing from Bobby and then from Dean you grudgingly agreed and allowed him to 'heal' you. You reached down and picked up the beer that Sam had brought for you to drink and took a drink from it and you sat cross legged on the cot beside Bobby's desk. Having your whole life story being poked and prodded like some kind of science experiment was just ending up as the cherry on top of the cake to your day since waking up. 

"So, those other Hunters outside of the Bar and Grill in New Orleans, they wanted you dead because they think you're a ...." Sam seemed to grapple for the right word's for a moment so you decided to fill in the blanks for him. "A monster sympathizer who let her last partner die in a hunt? Yeah, that about sums it up." You took another long pull from the beer, hating the taste but needing something to slow down the vibrating in your nerve's.

"But why would they want to kill another Hunter?" Castiel, or Cas, asked in his deep, gravely voice you had to admit was not unpleasant. "Wouldn't they want to keep the number of Hunters that they still had considering that there are hardly any of you around the world as it is?"

You shook your head and sighed heavily. "They don't see me as a fellow Hunter anymore." You murmured and took another drink of your beer. "All they see when they look at me now is the girl who fed her partner to a pack of wolves. They don't care about the truth. They only believe what they want to believe. Only believe what they see." You closed your eyes and thought heavily about the man with sea-foam green eyes and bright blond hair. The man who ignored your decision to leave the hunt, and instead died because he attacked the pack alone and held an innocent girl hostage.

You opened your eyes and stared down at the bottle in your hands. "I didn't see the point in killing something that never tried to hurt anyone. I've met friendly monsters before. There aren't many, but there are enough to make me think a profile through."

Your head lowered even more and sadness clenched your heart. "Clay was a great guy. He was funny and one of my closest friends when we started hunting together. Yeah we had our disagreements but," You looked up to meet the thoughtful and sympathetic glances of everyone in the room. "I didn't kill my partner." Your voice was as soft as a whisper and the look in Dean's gaze softened completely.

"So you took down one group five years ago." Sam stated gently from his seat on top of Bobby's desk. "And now another group in New Orleans." Dean finished with the same tone of voice as when he was talking to you after the fight in Louisiana. "How many more are there?" A humorless smile split your lips at that moment as you replied. "Four more. Each one with five, well seasoned veteran Hunters that have been using every contact they have ever had to try to track me down." You lifted the beer again and downed the rest of the contents.

The atmosphere in the room must have dropped around ten whole degrees because a chill crawled up your spine. You absently rubbed at your unmarked wrist's. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Bobby pipped up and what he said made you look up at him in surprise. "Well, they're gonna have a tough time finding you now kiddo." He gruffed out. 

"What?" The question flopped from your mouth before you could stop it and the older man gave you a warm, beardy smile. "Sam and Dean here are the only Hunters under my belt that I think are even remotely close to how good _you_ are Y/N. Maybe it's just that legendary last name of yours but it might just be luck that you've made it this far on your own." he chuckled and threw another smile through his beard.

You laughed somewhat happily. "If that was even a little bit true then I wouldn't be stuck in this situation Bobby. Frost is about as cold and unlucky as a name can be." Your smile faded slightly as you threw your gaze at the other three men in the room. "If I were you I wouldn't want your boys anywhere near me." You sighed in a repressed monotone. 

Bobby's exasperated huff made you look up again. "These three are about as hard to kill as cockroaches during a nuclear war." He spared each man an affectionate glance before turning back to look at you. "And you mean a lot to me too Y/N. So if I trust anyone to be around you and protect you, it's them." His voice was sincere and some unknown feeling plucked at your heart strings.

"Bobby, I..." "So, that settles it." He cut you off with good humor and fatherly affection in his tone. "You're stuck with the Winchester boys as your own team mates kiddo." What he said left you speechless. It was going on nine years since you last had a _partner_ , let alone a team.

"Bobby, that's very generous of you but, your boys here seem to make a damn good team all on their own." You looked from Sam to Dean to Cas then back to Bobby."I wouldn't want to throw somethin' like that off...." "You won't be." Dean cut in, his tone firm and absolute. You swung around and gave him your full attention. 

From where he sat, backwards in a wooden chair next to your cot, he smiled at you. "From what I've heard so far, you're gonna be an asset to Team Free Will." He winked at you and you felt like your heart skipped a beat at the small gesture as he continued. "Bonus is that I won't be stuck in the same car as a giant moose boy and a nerdy Angel." He chuckled and you saw both Sam and Cas shoot Dean an indignant glare from where they sat. 

It drew a giggle, 'A freakin' giggle!', out of you and another pang pulled at your heart strings as a small smile rose to accompany the one that Dean was now wearing. Then, an after thought hit you, and the smile fell. "Hey, wait a minute." You said with a frown as you studied the four men in front of you. "If we're not in New Orleans anymore...... where the hell is my car?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, now your part of Team Free Will! And better yet, Dean is the one who dubbed you honorary life saver Bonus!!!


	4. Back in the Team Saddle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! You get your car back!

Castiel had teleported back to your room in the shady motel to retrieve your clothing. But when you had asked him to take you to your car he had immediately fell to the floor with a headache. He said that he was being called to Heaven, so that he had to leave. 

You had been upset at first, but when he apologized your resolve melted. Angel's had a hard time. It wasn't Cas' fault. After he left, Dean presented you with the two slender blade's and your Bowie that you had thought they might have left on the ground back in New Orleans.

You nearly cheered with how happy you were. The Two dagger's were all you had left from your family, and the Bowie had been a gift from Damon. You immediately slid each weapon back into their respected sheath's as Sam walked up to you with a smile _and_ your favorite leather jacket. As for the situation with your car....... It was gonna have to wait a bit.

*****

Two days had passed since Bobby pretty much horse tied you to the Winchester hunting party. You had managed to talk those two yahoo brothers into heading back to New Orleans to pick up your car. It had been a seriously long drive with you filling the backseat of the Impala with anxiety and impatience. 

You were worried about Bastian, but the brothers' constant bickering was a welcomed distraction. It reminded you a lot of how you and your siblings had once fought over trivial things. For instance, Sam didn't seem to like Dean's choice in music but you rather enjoyed it. You had heard a lot of the band names and had even listened to a few of their songs over the years. 

Time seemed to fly by as you listened to the Winchesters argue, watched the road outside your window go by and hummed along to Metallica and Led Zeppelin. The humming earned you a surprised glance in the rear view mirror from Dean that was quickly followed by an approving smile.

Before you knew it, you were back in New Orleans in that same dingy parking lot. You didn't even wait for Dean to cut off the engine. You jumped out of Dean's Baby and ran to your Bastian. You ripped the keys out of your pocket as you began analyzing the exterior of the car. All together, the most you found was that he was due for a good scrub down. But other than that it was totally solid. 

You popped the trunk and found the lock still intact and the contents of the trunk, your duffel bags and arsenal of weapons, were all still there. You let out a relieved sigh as Dean and Sam walked up to you as you opened the drivers side door and slid yourself into the humid but fine black leather interior.

Dean whistled as he trailed his gaze down the body of your car. "Pretty." Dean exclaimed and you turned to meet his gaze. "She got a name?" He asked and you heard Sam snort incredulously as though he shunned the very idea that anyone that wasn't his brother would name their car.

You smirked. "Bastian." You supplied and you wanted to laugh at the unbelieving look Sam threw at you through wide hazel eyes. "And he's my pride and joy." At your words, Dean threw Sam his own look that suggested Dean may be a five year old who just got the backing of an adult when he was right about something. It was the most adorable thing ever.

"Whatever." Sam mumbled as he headed back to the Impala. "Let's get back to Sioux Falls." He called over his shoulder. Dean and you both chuckled and Dean caught your eye to give you a companionable wink before echoing his brothers retreat and stating that he'd 'Meet you back in Sioux Falls.'

You smirked and shut the drivers side door to your Challenger before sticking the key in the ignition and laughing with glee when the R/T model engine roared loud enough that Dean turned around quick at the sound. Oh yeah, it was great to be back in the saddle.

*****

"SHE'S! MY! CHERRY PIE! COOL DRINK OF WATER SUCH A SWEET SUR-PRISE! TASTES SO GOOD, MAKE A GROWN MAN CRY! SWEET! CHERRY PIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE YEAH!" You sang along to the head rush tones of Warrant as you sped your Challenger down the paved 55 Highway.

You drummed your hands on the steering wheel, finding the little things in life the most enjoyable at the moment. Like finally being back behind the wheel of your badass fucking car.

"Oh, Bastian I've missed you!" You crooned into the shinning dash as you pushed the speedometer well passed 160. The windows rolled slightly down so you could feel the wind whip through your hair but closed enough so that you could still rock out to the music.

A loud revving of a roaring engine beside you blocked out the music you were practically head banging to, and you glanced sideways to see Dean giving you a cheeky grin past Sam from the drivers seat of the Impala.

For an old classic you had to admit, the car was keeping up with Bastian pretty well and looked beautiful while doing it. The way he swayed the car back and forth and wiggled his eyebrows made you get just what he was asking for. One last fall back and he sped forward, ahead of Bastian and you saw him stick out his hand from the driver window and wave. 

'See you in Sioux Falls!' might as well have been written on the back windshield as you glared playfully at the hand that slowly folded back into the car and out of your sight. 

"Oh, you're on Winchester!" You chuckled and reached down to throw the shift stick into gear, weaving in and out expertly, albeit illegally, from behind cars until you caught up to Dean. The look on his face was totally worth the speeding ticket any cop might give you at that point.

You waved at him from where your car had been on his passenger side, mouthing the words 'bye-bye' as you sped up even more to get in front of him. You also didn't miss the look on both the brothers' faces as you gained the upper hand. Sam looked like he was about to die from laughing and his brother just looked so mortified it was damn near comical.

You laughed again before continuing to drum on the steering wheel and singing out loud to the rest of Warrant. "SHE'S! MY! CHERRY PIE! SMILE ON YOUR FACE, TEN MILES WIDE! LOOKS SO GOOD BRING'S A TEAR TO YOUR EYE! SWEET CHERRY PIE!" You reached into the glove box and took out your black sunglasses and put them on with one hand. "SWING IT!"

*****

"Nuhuh. No way. No how. You cheated." Dean pouted as you all walked into Bobby's house with a broad, satisfied smile on your face. You tucked your keys into your front pocket and turned your head slightly to glance over your shoulder at him. 

"Aww, don't be mad Dean." You crooned in a soft voice. "Your 'Baby' kept up pretty well with my Bastian. That's no small feat given how much time I spent under his hood." You chuckled. "I've spent years upgrading Bastian to out run our boys in blue that it would have been a huge surprise if you _had_ beaten us. But hey, we managed to make an eighteen hour trip in just over thirteen because of that." You chuckled again, especially when Sam's faces seemed to match yours in the level of glee. It was 6:34 in the morning but you felt great!

"You should be proud of her." You said and threw a wink his way which caused him to blink rapidly three times at you before dawning his pouty expression again. "I still think you cheated." He grumbled before walking into the kitchen and grabbing everyone a beer while Sam took a seat on Bobby's desk and you flopped down on the cot.

Dean came in and opened Sam's beer first then yours but you spoke before he could open his. "It's not cheating just because I have better driving skills than you Big Boy." You jabbed with a daring grin on your face. It quickly fell when he reached over and snatched the beer back before you could take a sip, and took a long pull from the bottle before looking down at you again.

"Hey!" You huffed out as that mischievous sparkle danced in his bright green eyes. He swallowed before answering. "Oh I'm sorry, what?" He asked, his voice gentle and feigning innocence. "We were talking about skills and other such nonsense right? Oh wait, was this yours?" He asked, glancing at the bottle in his hand before looking back at you with a wolfy smile. 

You snatched up the pillow from your cot and threw it at him as you yelled out, "Jerk!" But obviously your tone was playful and you both laughed before he said, "Bitch." And tossed the pillow back at you, which you caught. "Hey!" Sam piped up at the use of the play on words being used with someone else other than him. After a beat, you all broke out into chuckles, and Dean even opened the other beer and handed it to you to make amends.

You acknowledged and accepted the apology by clinking your bottle to his, then to Sam's to not leave him out. Each of you sipped your drink's and just enjoyed the feel of each other's company until Bobby came down the stairs to greet you.

"What are you three Yayhoos grinnin' about?" Bobby asked, his surly old man side rearing up slightly. You just smiled. It had been a good day and your mood was stuck on happy. "Nothin' Bobby." You said, a small laugh in your tone. "Just good to be back is all." And you really didn't think much about how you worded that sentence until you heard Bobby's next one.

"Yeah well, welcome home ya little trouble maker." He grinned and his gruff features softened with affection. Your smile fell but only just when you heard the word 'home'. It had been a very long time since you had a home. Or even a remote feeling of one. The fact that Bobby said it so easily in a situation pertaining to you made you slightly uncomfortable. But also a little hopeful.

Sam cleared his throat at that time and spoke directly to Bobby, knocking you out of your deep musings and pulling you to listen to their conversation. "So, Bobby, you got any new leads for us?" He asked as he set his half drank beer bottle on the edge of the desk he was sitting on. 

"Yeah, now that we're back from Devil's Armpit New Orleans, tell us. Any new cases come up?" Dean asked as he leaned against the door frame close to where you sat cross-legged on the cot. The reference he made to New Orleans drew out a breathy giggle from you and you noticed he looked down at you and smiled shyly for a second before looking at Bobby again.

Bobby shook his head but you saw the smile he hid well behind his scruffy beard. "Alright." He conceded. "If you three are so eager to get _back_ on the road so soon," He went to the desk drawers and pulled out a notepad, scanning it for a second. "Looks like there might be a Wendigo problem in Galena, Idaho you can look into. Or there are a few reported Bigfoot sightings in Sulfur Springs, Montana." He looked at all of you expectantly. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. "Idaho it is." Sam said, picking up his beer again and finishing it up in two big gulps.

"You ever get the feeling we know all the states by what kind of monsters could be roaming there?" You mused aloud, your train of thought wandering from the happy high you were still currently in. When they looked at you it was with this look like they were trying to figure out if you were crazy or not.

"I'm serious!" You defended quickly. "Most people think of Idaho as the 'Spud Capital', but we know it as Potential Wendigo Country. Same as Louisiana would be Hoodoo witches and Werewolves, and Texas would be prime Shapeshifter and Vamp country." They seemed to ponder your knowledge and finally Sam nodded. "Seems legit." He said. "Definitely makes sense." Dean piped up. Bobby nodded too. 

After a moment of awkward silence you got up and pulled your keys out of your pocket. "Well, times-a-waistin' We should be heading out." You walked over to Bobby and gave him a hug, which he returned awkwardly before saying, 'Be safe, and come back soon Y/N.' softly into your hair before pulling away. You nodded slightly with a soft smile on your lips as you turned around, chugged the rest of your beer and threw it in the trash as you walked past the boys to head back outside to your car.

"See you in a few days Bobby!" You yelled out as you open the screen door and walked outside. Bobby's Rottweiler, Brutus, was laying lazily on the porch sat up long enough for you to scratch his ear's in goodbye before laying down again. 

"So, what do you think about a rematch?" You asked Dean, a mischievous gleam in your eye's as they locked with his. The smirk he gave softened his word's as he spoke. "Sure thing sweetheart, s'long as you don't cheat again." He said, urging Sam to jump into the Impala.

You laughed, thoroughly amused as you twirled your keys on your index finger before opening the drivers side door of your precious car. "I'd never cheat in a race Dean." You snickered. "There's no point when you're already as good as I am." You wiggled your eyebrows and yelled out, "See you in Galena!" before dropping into your seat, closing the door, and starting the engine.

*****

Racing another eighteen hour drive off route 26 and landing on Route 75 got all three of you to Galena in just under fifteen hours after so much traffic held you up. You drove into town at around 9:53 pm, exhausted. Dean called you and said to pull off of the main road into the first motel looking building you saw, which just so happened to be the Galena Lodge Ski Resort.

After parking in the near empty parking lot side by side, you got out of the Challenger and took a moment to stretch your stiff limbs. The tank top and jeans you were wearing contorted along with the figure of your body.

Sam and Dean popped the trunk to the Impala and quickly grabbed their pre-packed duffel bags before walking over to you. You opened Bastian's trunk and grabbed your Park Ranger labeled duffel from the back before closing it. 

"That's a new system we haven't seen before." Sam commented as you all walked into the lodge. You smirked as he walked on your right with Dean taking the lead. "I like being organized." You answered casually as Dean strode up to the Lobby desk and rung the bell.

A few seconds later a snooty looking guy around his early thirties with a suit on and slicked back brown hair came up. The way he held his head so high where he had to look down the length of his nose to look at you made you think he might have shoved that stick a little too high up his ass that morning.

"May I help you?" He drawled out in a tone that was already offensive enough but the critical look he gave all of your clothes, and the eye roll he did after made you want to reach over the counter and knock his lights out. Evidently you weren't the only one.

"Yeah, we'd like two rooms, two beds in each and preferably with less attitude." Dean said, a bit snarky. "It's bad for a working atmosphere." You wanted to laugh but the thunderstorm you saw rolling in the concierges' brown eyes made you step in to defuse the situation. From what you had seen, the lodge was the only travelers accommodation in town.

"Please excuse my companion sir," You softened your voice to a seductive croon as you spoke and pressed forward pass Dean to the front counter. "We've been on the road since 7:30 this morning and we're all very exhausted. Would it be possible to get two of your best rooms please? We'll pay extra if you can accommodate us." You said confidently and you heard Dean's protest before you reached back and brushed your fingertips over his soft leather jacket, making him quiet down as you leaned forward more, resting your breasts on the edge of the counter and batting your eyelashes a little too much like a swooning school girl.

The man eyed you for a long moment before his gaze fell on your breast. The V-neck white tank top you wore showing some cleavage from being pulled down slightly by your leaning position. After a moment of ogling where you had to pinch Dean to make him stay quiet and behind you, a small twitch of his upper lip indicated he was hiding a smile as he spoke. "That is unnecessary ma'am." The tone of his voice had changed to an attempt at seduction that the man failed miserably at because he just sounded like a sixteen year old boy who was going through puberty.

But you kept your own seductive mask in place as he continued. "I will of course accommodate you and at the price of only one of our rooms, considering it is off season for skiing." The man began to type rapidly into the computer and asked for a name and credit card to put the reservation under.

"Evangelina Russo." You made sure to curl your lips around your fake name and you didn't miss the shallow intake of breath the guy took, or the not-so-subtle tug his hooked finger gave his tied up collar before dropping back and taking the Platinum credit card with the exact same fake name on it and swiping it. 

He handed it back along with two room key cards and a complimentary stay coupon he made sure to press firmly into your hand, letting his overly warm skin drag along yours. You noticed that the coupon had a pen written phone number on the back along with the name 'Daniel'. You had enough time between thanking the man for the keys and presenting one to Dean to wonder just how he had managed to write it without you seeing him.

Either way, you waved goodbye to 'Daniel' as you turned to walk away and head up the stairs and down the halls to find your rooms, making sure to sway your hips a bit for good measure. 

"Can't say that I liked that guy staring at you like a starving wolf but," Dean began as you walked side by side. "I gotta say I'm impressed." Dean gave you a side smirk as you chuckled. "Your pretty good at manipulating stupid men." He acknowledged as you found your rooms. 

"Stupid men are easy to manipulate into doing what you want." You commented, sticking the card into the slot and swiping it, opening the door when the green light indicated it wasn't locked. "It's the smart ones that are a challenge. But then again, I've always really enjoyed the thought of that challenge." You pushed the door open and threw your duffel to make it land dead center in the closest bed.

"The 'thought'?" Dean inquired and you turned to smile at him. "Haven't met a smart man yet." That was a lie. Damon was a very smart man, and had always managed to stump you at every turn. But you couldn't tell Dean that. Dean smirked then, dragging you back from thinking of feather soft black hair and ice white eyes. 

"Maybe they're right in front of you and you're just not looking hard enough." Dean suggested and Sam huffed as he snatched the key card from his brother's hand and opened their room door. You giggled. "Yeah, maybe." You said in the same seductive tone you had used on the concierge.

You laughed again when you saw Dean's eyes widen at the same time you heard Sam chuckle from inside the room. "So." Dean coughed, trying to regain his poise. "What's the plan then? It's already late and Wendigo's are hard enough to TRACK in daylight, never mind killing them at night."

You nod your head. "Wouldn't be smart going after it now" You agreed. "Plus, we've been on the road for two straight days and I don't know about you but I haven't slept a wink. I vote we unpack, do a small amount of research tonight and get a better start in the morning when we're fresh." You ran one hand through your hair before Sam called out, a yawn in his voice. "Yeah, that's my vote too." 

You smiled as Dean smirked before looking at you again. "We'll be in here if you want to research with us." You nodded and he headed into his room, closing the door after him. You followed his lead and closed your own door. Your room was a decent size with a TV and two queen sized beds and a full bath. Since it was a lodge, there was no kitchenette.

You stood there and stared at the floor a moment before moving to your duffel and grabbing clothes for a shower. You went in and turned on the hot water. After laving up your hair you stepped into the hot spray and began to rinse, your eyes closing to enjoy the heat. Until you felt someones hands on your breasts and the point of fangs grazing the skin at your neck.

Your eyes flew open and you spun around, finding nothing there but steam. After a moment, with your hand over the ghost impression of fangs on your neck, you finished your shower, changed, and left the room.

*****

"So it looks like six people went into the woods around five days ago and haven't been heard from since." Sam said as he read off a news report on a local station website. "Yeah, and apparently when the Park Rangers went out to look for them, they found the campsite up at Galena Peak completely wrecked and everyone was gone." Dean chipped in.

"Not only that," You added as you scrolled through another story on your laptop. "The devastation the Rangers reported make it sound like a grizzly the size of a Hummer ran through it. Blood everywhere and no sign of anyone other than, well, this shoe." You turned your computer so that they could see a crime photo of a dirty old grey sneaker with an evidence tag beside it. 

"Awesome." Dean pouted and closed his laptop and rubbed a hand down his face, stifling a huge yawn as he did so. It made you very aware of your own exhaustion. "It's late, and we all need some sleep." You say as you shut your computer and get up, the shorts you had on falling back to hang down to your mid thigh again.

Dean smirked as he saw the material sway slightly. "You know sweetheart, if you needed sweatpants all you had to do was ask." He said, the wolfish grin returning to his full lips. You laughed again, but only as much as your tired body allowed before saying, "I like the cold." You turned and walked to the door. "It's the 'Devil's Armpit New Orleans' I had a problem with." You smirked and walked out of their room. "Goodnight boys." You waved and Sam waved back while Dean stared at you. "Night Y/N." Sam called and you faintly heard Dean echo his brother before you shut the door. 

When you locked the door to your room you threw your body onto the bed closest to the door, away from the window, snuggling into the downy sheets and pillow top comforter. 

It felt great being on a job again but somehow it felt even better hunting with a team. It had been too long. You were beginning to trust the Winchester boys in the same way you had trusted Clay. Maybe more since Sam and Dean seemed to understand you better than Clay ever did. 

They didn't seem to blame you for his death and you appreciated that fact greatly. They even agreed with you that there were some monsters that didn't deserve to be hunted. They had shared that they had a few different supernatural friends. With that in mind, a pair of ice white eyes crept their way to the front of your thoughts. 

'Why now?' Was the only thought as you wondered why you had started thinking of him again. You sighed and curled your arm beneath your head, your hand brushing the cool metal of the gun you had put there after your hasty shower. If you slept tonight your dreams would undoubtedly be filled with those haunting eyes and the body that owned them.

But you had no other choice. Even if it did feel weird mourning a life that died years ago with the semi-new old life you chose right in the other room. You had to get some shut eye. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and you had a Wendigo to kill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Racing, Fluff and Wendigo's. "Awesome!" says Dean.


	5. Repressed Nightmares, part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, this chapter was really big so I had to separate it or risk overwhelming the reader. But I hope you like it anyways guy's. and I'll have the next part up by either tomorrow or the next day. Happy Reading!

'Y/N, c'mon. Don't do this.' Your mind whirled with echo's of the past as you ran through your dreams. Horrid nightmares that sprang up at every corner as you were being chased by the man you had left unconscious on his own floor of his home nearly six year's ago. It didn't seem to matter where you ran. The man obviously knew the plane of your sleeping mind much better than you did as the phantom with ice blue eye's chased you all throughout the maze of your nightmare.

'Y/N, please don't leave me.' The deeply devastated voice of the phantom echoed all around you as you ran blindly ran into an intangible office building that had just sprung out of nowhere. You tried every door you came across in the long hallway but every one seemed to be locked or just painted there for show because not one of them budged. Your hopes of getting away from the man slowly catching up to you became dashed as his shadow descended over your figure. 

'I stopped killing for you, Y/N.' The voice seemed to be choking on its own breath as it continued. 'I stopped drinking Live for you. If I ever lost you I don't know what I would become.' The voice delved into memories that went further back than you leaving. It practically gut-punched your happy memories, groping for a reaction. And it fucking got it.

'Leave me alone!' You spun and grabbed the small end table that had been positioned next to one of the doors with a vase settled on it. When you turned to face the shadow-man again you threw the table with all your might, causing it to crash hard against the man's chest and shatter without so much as making him take a step back.

Panic set in and it just caused rage to tighten your racing heart. 'You're not here. You're not REAL!' You shouted as you moved away from the phantom as it proceeded to advance upon you again. At this point you honestly didn't know who you were trying to convince. The dream presence or your true self. 'Just leave me the FUCK ALONE!' You roared and spun around to sprint back down the hall again.

Why couldn't the past just leave you alone?! You kept running through the building until you finally found a room with the door wide open. You skidded to a halt inside of it and quickly turned around to slam the door before locking it. Even taking the Real-World approach of sliding a random chair under the door knob and backing away, your arm's going to hug your middle to help stifle the growing sense of apprehension creeping through your gut. It barely helped regulate your breathing.

Why was this dream so much longer than the one's from the past had been? Why couldn't you wake up already? As you retreated further away from the door, the silence was suddenly broken by the soft dripping sound coming from behind you. Fear ripped through your spine and you slowly turned around to see..... 'Damon.' You breathed out, your voice catching a hitch at the end of your tone.

He looked like Damon. Down to the last detail. The bounce of his soft black hair. The curve of his face and slight dip of his nose. The curl of his lip's going just slightly upwards. The press of his nice black dress shirt and the shine to his black leather shoes as well as the jacket he always wore.... because you had picked it out for him. Even the point of his stark white fang's that still dripped blood from them all the way down his chin, and the red that ate up the white of his eye's as the blood vessel's popped out around them in a way that indicated his instinct's to hunt. 'Ripper eye's.' You thought and your heart nearly stopped when he spoke. 

'I'm as real as you are baby.' He said, his voice holding the same snarky edge he had when you'd first met him. He walked closer to you and the only thing you felt was the primal need for flight as fight was obviously not in the cards. But you had no where to run. He could have his hands around your throat before you even reached for the chair lodged under the door knob.

'You left me Y/N.' The phantom Damon's eye's darkened even more as a vengeful scowl plastered itself onto his beautiful face. 'Are you happy now?' He asked and stopped just as you stepped back once and hit the wall behind you. Fear making your heart race uncontrollably. 'Are you happy with your life now? Are you happy seeing what I turned into after you abandoned me?!' His voice was tight with contempt as he suddenly flitted to stand in front of you. Your bodies pressing so close together that you could have sworn you felt his cool body temperature press through your shirt as well as his.

'Why did you leave me Y/N?' He asked again, and this time he just sounded defeated. 'You didn't even wait for me to say goodbye.' The pain you felt roll off of him from his word's was strictly because you knew he was right. You had abandoned Damon. Hell, you abandoned the entire life you'd made for yourself in Mystic Falls. 

You had given up the Hunter lifestyle to settle down in that town after Clay's death. You had gotten a job as a bartender at the Mystic Grill and had made amazing friends. Carved out a completely different life with Damon. Being his and having someone love you that much had been truly indescribable. The sex had been amazing, but the intimacy was what had made you fall in love with the blue eyed vampire. You had been happy. 

Then, three men came to you door and shattered the picture of a good life. So you did what you had always done in that type of situation. You picked up, and you ran.

'I'm sorry.' You sobbed, nearly choking on the words as you fought the tremble in your voice. 'I'm so sorry Damon. I never wanted to hurt you. I left to protect you. I-' Your voice cracked. 'I loved you.' And the confession was barely a whisper. But the phantom Damon's red eye's looked up from admiring your all too exposed throat to gaze softly into your eye's. After another moment, he backed up about a foot and put a hand over his chest directly where his heart would be. 

Puzzled, you pushed away from the wall and tilted your head as you looked at him. 'Damon?' You began, a bit hesitantly. 'What are you...' 'Its always belonged to you Y/N.' The phantom Damon cut in before his hand tore through the shirt, cutting away the skin and muscle and breaking the bones beneath them as well.

You vaguely felt yourself scream rather than hear it. The world seemed to mute all sound at that moment as you watched Dream Damon dig around in his own chest until his hand grabbed a hold of something and pulled it out gently before presenting it to you. Sound returned to the world as he brought his hand back out with his offering.

'Its always belonged to you.' Dream Damon repeated as more blood gushed from his smiling mouth as well as the gaping hole in his chest. 'You own my heart Y/N. It'll always belong to you.' He crooned the words softly as if to assure you of his devotion. But you could barely translate what he was saying to you. Your mind was too focused on the graying of the vampires' skin and the smooth, unbeating heart still oozing blood from its major aorta. 

The breath you tried to take in was broken and didn't help to stop your terror at all as you opened your mouth, and screamed once more. This time, the tone was loud and clear.

*****

You woke up thrashing around in your bed back in Galena, Idaho. Grasping your gun on pure instinct and raising it to take aim at shadow's, a cry slipped through your lip's as the nightmare was still so close to the surface of your mind that you could still smell the rusty scent of blood.

It was so cold in the room. But you had distinctly remembered setting the thermostat to 78 before nodding off. When you looked down, you were drenched in a cold sweat and your body began to shiver from both the cold and the remaining fear left in your system. You dropped the gun to your side and took a moment to collect yourself and take a few deep, steadying breath's before peeling the damp sheet's away from your body and swinging your legs over the edge of your bed.

You looked over at the nightstand and read the digital clock that lay there. The face of which displayed the time 4:04 AM in bright red letters. You sighed heavily and buried your face in your hands. You had only just gone to bed at 12:45 and you and the boy's had agreed that the workday wouldn't start until around 7:00 AM.

You sighed again and got up to head back into the shower. You turned the water on to full blast in hopes that the chill would get chased from your body while under the spray of boiling water. You set your gun down on the edge of the sink and stripped, stepping into the spray as you finished. You found that it didn't completely shake off the effect's of your nightmare, but it did help some. It helped even more when no phantom wrapped itself around you while you were wet and naked. 

You quickly went over to your duffel and pulled out a clean pair of sleeping clothes before crawling into bed again, opting to sleep on top of the inner bed sheet's and just wrap up in the pillow down comforter instead. Within minutes you were out like a light. You didn't wake up again until your alarm went off at 6:15 AM.

You dressed in your Park Ranger uniform within twenty minutes, and by 6:45 you were eating breakfast at the lounge as you waited for the boy's. When they came up to you at the table you chose to sit at you were happily munching on sweet, cream cheese filled strawberry crepes dusted with powdered sugar and dolloped with whipped cream.

"Wow, they serve that here?" Dean asked as he and Sam came up dressed in finely pressed suites and ties. The sunlight inside the lounge was just bright enough to make his eye's glow a soft undertone of emerald in his usually evergreen irises. You smiled, unable to help yourself as you pointed at the buffet. "All you can eat continental breakfast." You said picking up another piece of crepe and eating small, dainty bite's as Dean's smile grew.

"Awesome. How much for the buffet?" Dean asked and you noticed his eye's went straight to the peach cobbler and apple pie that was currently being put into one of the warming tray's. You swallowed the bite that was still in your mouth first before speaking. "It's free with the room's." You informed and with that, Dean grinned even bigger, however that was possible, showing off his dazzling smile and politely excusing himself. Hustling over to the buffet he grabbed a plate to start piling it high with food.

You smiled slightly at the sight, trying to forget the ghost that had haunted your dream's only a few hours ago. Even now, the phantom's word's still bounced around in your head. 'Are you happy now, Y/N?' 'Why did you leave me Y/N?' 'Its always belonged to you.' 'You own my heart Y/N. It'll always belong to you.'

The echo of your name coming from his mouth had you squirming and fighting down the same panic you had been under in your dreams. 'Y/N.' 'Y/N.' 'Y/N.' "Y/N?" "Hey, Y/N!" Someone's finger's were suddenly snapping in your face and the same hand waved frantically in front of your eye's. You blinked rapidly to focus on Sam and his enormous moose paw flapping in front of your face. 

"Huh?" You tried to ask but your voice came out small. You coughed and tried again. "Sorry, what?" Sam retracted his hand as he sat in the empty seat next to you at the table. You stifled a yawn as he stared at you with calculating hazel eye's. "Did you sleep at all last night? You look like you haven't even caught a wink." His attempt at a joke drew a half laugh from you while he mused, worry etched clearly into the tight knit of his eyebrow's. 

Lying wouldn't exactly be a good thing to start off your new partnership with the Winchester boy's, so you decided to be honest. "Just a few bad dreams last night. Nothin major." You gave him your best smile. "I'm ok though. Thanks Sam." Well, for the most part, you would be honest. It was true that you were starting to gain trust on a two way street with both Sam and Dean but, you internally sighed, Damon wasn't something you really wanted to share with anyone. 

Because even though the nightmare from last night tainted his image just slightly, you still felt like he had been the sunshine in your life for the good four years you had lived in Mystic Falls and had been able to hang up the Hunter lifestyle. That wasn't a part of you that you were too open to sharing. At least, not quite yet. 

Sam stared at you again and you could have sworn you saw suspicion there, but he didn't call you out on it which made you infinitely grateful. Instead, he reached over to pat your arm in a friendly gesture and whisper calmly, "If you want to talk at anytime, I'm right here." and he gave you a gentle, brotherly like smile. Your heart skipped a beat at the show of genuine kindness, and you hesitated only for a moment before nodding and giving a real smile back to him. 

"Thanks Sam." You said, eternally grateful that he respected your privacy and still offered his shoulder to lean on when and if you were ever ready to take him up on the offer. He only smiled at you wider and pulled his hand back with a soft laugh in his tone as he spoke, "No problem Y/N." 

Dean sat down a moment later with everything on his plate from donuts to Danishes. "Jeez Dean, really?" Sam commented and pulled one of those face's Dean had described to you as a 'Bitch Face'. Dean just grabbed a powdered donut from the top of the mountain of food and bit into it. The sight of his upper lip and the tip of his nose dusted with the fine white powder making you chuckle softly as he replied. "We haven't had a solid meal in two day's Sam." He explained, the mushy paste of the donut muffling his voice slightly. "I'm a Warrior. I need more than gas station peanuts and Snicker's bars." 

"So Warrior's of today scarf down powdered donuts and peach cobbler instead?" You asked Dean as you tried to hide your smile and failed when he turned completely in his chair on the other side of you to face you full on. He swallowed the bite of donut still in his mouth before leaning towards you, his eye's growing very serious and turning dark emerald in the bright morning light as he spoke. "Exactly." He said in his deep voice and a slight tendril of warmth spread through your body from your cheeks all the way down to the 'v' of your legs. You shifted a bit, a little uncomfortable with the feeling but you smirked back any way's, further hiding your trepidation by picking up your napkin.

"Well, warrior's of today should learn a little bit about 'Presentation Before War'. You say the words with an awe filled tone as if they were the most sacred scripture in any form of religious text before dabbing the napkin in your water glass. Proceeding to reach over and take Dean's chin in your left hand as you used the right one to clean away the sugar from his nose and the scruffy stubble he had growing beautifully around his plump, soft looking lips. 

It took everything you had not to stare and to just focus on your task, but once you were done and you looked up to meet Dean's gaze you found that he was staring intensely at you. A deep look of consideration and surprise, mixed with a few other emotions you couldn't name because they were there one moment and then gone the next.

Something about it made your heart squeeze and you quickly pulled your hand back and pointedly looked everywhere but at Dean. You could feel a warm blush slowly begin to creep its way up into your cheeks but you forced it back as you gathered your control to make yourself focus back on Sam again. "So," You began and made yourself cough slightly to clear your throat as you continued. "I take it since you two are dressed like you're ready for a funeral you're going to go interrogate the families?" 

Dammit you could still feel Dean's gaze locked on you but you strictly made your body relax and ignored it. Sam seemed to pick up on that then as he shot his brother a 'Back off' look, which made Dean drop his gaze immediately to stop looking at you right then and there. Sam eyed Dean for a nanosecond more before he spoke. "Yeah." He turned back to you to give you his full attention. "We figured since you were already going to be in Ranger gear that you could go talk to the other PR's at the station while we talked to the families. Get twice the work done in half the time." He mused and you nodded.

"Sounds good. I'll see if I can get the exact coordinate's of the campsite too so we can go take a look when you guy's get back." You pushed your plate away, leaving half of one last crepe there but no longer hungry, and scooted your chair back to stand easily out of it. 

"You seem pretty confident that you'll make it back before us." Dean commented, making sure to keep his eye's moving and never letting them linger on you. "You're that fast?" Sam asked, more curious than incredulous. You smiled at him. "I'm that efficient. Besides," You continued as you pushed your chair under that table and grabbed your Park Ranger hat that hung on the back of it.

" I know how long FBI con's can take and you guy's have six different families to interview." You smiled, continuing as you ducked your head to put the hat on. "All I have to do is go talk to a few Ranger's all sitting in the same building. Read some report's and get back here in time to change before it get's too dark." You waved goodbye and turned, heading for the door outside.

"IT'S IDAHO IN OCTOBER!" Dean called after you as you continued to walk towards the lobby. "IT STARTS GETTING DARK AROUND FIVE!" Instead of turning around and snapping that you knew exactly at what time Idaho got dark in October, you just kept walking but called over your shoulder at the boy's. "Then you two had better get a move on then!"

You walked through the lobby and caught the sight of Daniel staring at you from out of your peripheral vision. You turned and waved at him too, knowing that he'd see Sam and Dean walk out in their FBI suit's soon, and you couldn't resist making the guy squirm a little that he had been rude to federal and state agents. 'Or at least, pretend Federal and State agents.' You amended before walking outside and getting into your car.

You started Bastian up and put him in reverse before throwing the shift into gear and pulling out onto the road. The whole time you drove to the Ranger's Station at the base of Galena Peak, only two things were on your mind. 1. What was the look Dean gave you?, and 2. If he had felt uncomfortable with it, Why didn't he pull away?

*****

"I gotta say Ranger Russo I'm glad we finally got some help out here." Ranger Thomas Eckhart said, exasperated as he showed you to where all the files on the missing people were piled up on a desk in the back of the station. "To be honest, we don't know what to make of it. There wasn't any trace of the hiker's other than a splatter of blood here and there and that damn shoe we found a few feet away from the tent."

The brown haired man rubbed a frustrated hand down his face before looking at you again. "I mean, we deal with bear attacks out here plenty. Enough to know that even if one had attacked the campsite and did end up killing all the hikers, there'd at least be a decent sized mess to clean up afterwards." You nodded assent to that. It wouldn't make sense to anyone who didn't know what they were looking for. 

It was surprising enough that Bobby had even known what was here without thorough investigation. But then again, Bobby was just that good that he noticed all the sign's just out of what he heard through the Hunter grapevine. 

"So," You began, focusing on the case again. "What makes you think it wasn't just two grown males fighting it out and something else dragged the rest of the campers away afterwards?" You knew that was total bullshit but this was the only way to trick answers out of the young Chief Ranger. "Your report stated that the sight looked to have been abandoned for at least two days prior to you finding it."

He shook his head and leaned in close when you settled in the chair at the desk. "We scanned that whole area for a mile in each direction." He began. "There weren't any tracks going in or out of that campsite from more than maybe twelve feet out. No other animals came in to clear any of the bodies, if there were any, because there was nothing that showed anything had been dragged through the undergrowth." The Ranger sighed heavily.

"Its like the bodies and whatever had attacked them were there one moment and gone the next." He walked over to a file cabinet and looked through all the files in one of the drawers before taking one out and opening it before settling it down in front of you. 

"But then I went back and checked again." Eckhart said as he pointed to the picture in the file and your eye's locked on what you saw. The pictures had obviously been taken at night and under the glow of a flare, but the image was undeniably clear all the same. 

Bloody hand prints going up a couple tall Lodge pole Pine tree's and four distinct claw mark's settled in the soft wood. From what you could see, these claws were way bigger than any you've ever seen from a Wendigo before. "What the hell?" You breathed out, the shock of what you saw just too much to keep in professional undercover Hunter mode. Luckily for you, it was the exact reaction Ranger Eckhart was expecting.

"Yeah." He acknowledged as he went on. "So unless I missed the part where bears are half monkey now, I gotta tell you Ranger, I'm stumped." He stated, completely missing your reason for the reaction but you left it at that as he rose to his full height and raised his arm's at his side in surrender. 

You only nodded again and returned to analyzing the documents in front of you. "Ranger, I'm going to need copies of every one of these files to take back with me to consult with my companion's." You instructed as you flipped through the other pictures in the file, and continued on to read the report. "Yes ma'am." The Ranger affirmed. "I got the copies made for you last night when you called. They're on my desk." As he walked away to get the files, you read the rest of the report, another segment caught your eye and you froze. 

You closed the file and piped up, stopping his advance. "Ranger Eckhart." You called and he turned back around. "Yes ma'am?" He asked and came to stand in front of the desk. You held out the file to him. "Copy this one too." 

*****

It was about 1:28 PM when the boy's finally made it back to their room where you had decided to wait for them. You were patiently pouring over the files you had gotten from Ranger Eckhart on top of what you could only assume, judging by the unmade sheet's, was Dean's bed. The last file in particular had made you scrutinize every little detail for the past hour and a half.

The door to the boy's room creaked open but you didn't bother looking up as Dean and Sam walked into the room. "Who let you in here?" Dean asked, his voice not quite upset but more surprised that you were there. You finally looked up from the file and said, almost nonchalantly, "Daniel let me in." You motioned for Sam to come closer so that you could show him the file. 

He did so as Dean continued to talk. "Daniel? The 'wanna eat you' looking, slicked back hair, concierge guy?" He asked, a tendril of something like disgust snaked its way into his tone as he took off his suit coat and draped it over one of the tables' chairs. He reached up to undo his tie as you nodded. "That'd be the one." You affirmed as you moved over to give Sam some room to sit down. "Now come over here and see what I found out from the Ranger's."

As you started pointing out the different things in the file you wanted to show Sam you heard Dean mumble a bit, saying, "You sure that guy doesn't have some kind of weirdo crush thing going for you?" His tone holding a certain amount of displeasure as he said it. You looked up and scowled at Dean for a second. "Of course he does Dean, that was the whole point in flirting with the guy to get us these room's. Which, you're welcome by the way." You scolded and his expression instantly changed to one like a chastised child.

You sighed, unable to help yourself. "Never mind, just, come check this out." You say softly. Dean perked up and pulled off his tye to wrap it around one hand as he came over to settle on the other side of you. He sat close to look over your shoulder as he did so. You ignored how close he chose to be and just showed him what Sam had already been reading. 

Suddenly, he groaned. "Son of a bitch!" He nearly snarled at the same time Sam exclaimed, "Fuck." You nodded. "Yeah, that was my reaction too." You said, handing the file over to Sam when he asked for it. 

"So, according to the report, two different 'Bear' tracks were found in and around the campsite?" Dean asked, pressing even closer to you to look over your shoulder at the file in Sam's hand's. He pressed his well muscled chest against the back of your left shoulder and you tensed up. Warmth spread from the point of contact and you slid your gaze sideways to watch him. But Dean's gaze instantly went to yours when you did so. 

Your breath caught in your lungs and your heartbeat stuttered in your chest. His face was so close that all you could see were his glorious eye's. Mouth so close you could fell the exhale of his warm breath upon your own lips. So close. All you had to do was lean forward a bit more. Lean forward and....

You look away and pull your shoulder forward so that you were no longer touching him at all, though you could still feel his soft breath fan against your neck as you directed your focus back to Sam, who hadn't seemed to have notice the long pause. "This file wasn't originally compiled with the other's from the case. I asked Ranger Eckhart how he knew the tracks were from two different animals," You began and focused solely on Sam even as you felt Dean shift back away from you.

"He said that when he looked at them, one left a deeper impression in the dirt while the other was just way bigger than the other." You sighed heavily. "But that wasn't the part that made my stomach flip. Keep reading Sam." You reached down and picked up the water bottle you had placed at the foot of the bed. In the time it took Sam to react to the information in the file, you had opened the bottle and took a sip.

"Holy shit." Sam whispered in a disbelieving voice and you sighed, nodding again at his reaction. "That's what I said too." You mumbled and put the bottle back on the floor. "What?" Dean asked, thoroughly annoyed by the fact that he wasn't being told anything and you instantly felt his critical stare on you again. Making you inwardly flinch. But still, you motioned for Sam to give the file back and once he did, you passed it to Dean. You let him read it in detail, but decided a summary would be best to describe it better. 

"Upon discovering the ransacked campsite and failing to find any additional evidence as to where the campers might be, Ranger Eckhart decided to head back down the mountain to regroup with the other Rangers he had sent down ahead of him." You lay completely back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. 

"On his way back down the path, Ranger Eckhart describes the feeling of being 'hunted' in his report. He then goes on to explain the 'noises' he suddenly heard from the tree's." You blew out a breath and felt Sam shift next to you on the bed. The same dreadful tingle inching up both of your spines. "He said he could hear people screaming. But not just any people. Two of the hikers taken were close friends of his. He had instantly recognized their voices and began yelling for them." 

You lifted your head in time to see Dean's form go ridged and Sam's face go blank as they stared at you. You kept talking, knowing he had just read and figured out what was going on from the report.

"Upon yelling and firing one shot into the bushes beside him to 'draw out' the screaming people. Everything got quite and after a moment, Eckhart reports hearing one deep growl and another high pitched hiss coming from his left and right side. After that, he set off a flare to try and see whatever had made those sounds. As soon as the flare went off, he describes seeing two dark grey figures hanging onto the tops of the trees directly above him." Sam entered into the explanation. His voice distant but insightful.

"He says that the creatures' eyes flashed blood red before they just suddenly vanished. He mentions running all the way down the path again until he meet's with the rest of his team at the bottom of Galena Peak." You continued.

"Then he goes on in the report to say it was just his mind playing tricks on him." Sam finished for you. "Talks about, how he was too invested in the search to be of any use." Dean shut the folder and let it drop to the floor before rubbing his face with his hand's. "Well, that explains why that file didn't get put in with the other's for the case." Dean mused. 

You nodded and laid back to stare at the ceiling again as he continued, though his head turned to cast his vision on your form again. "Ranger Eckhart wasn't hallucinating but he was damn sure one lucky bastard to have gotten away from, apparently, two Wendigo's." He got up from the bed, jostling your body as he did so, to go over to his duffel bag and pulled out two homemade flamethrower's the brothers had packed. "Fuckin' perfect." Dean groaned as he began putting a hiking bag together, unwinding the tie he still had wrapped around his hand.

After a moment of watching him, you turned to Sam, sitting up on your elbows to look at him as you did. "Did you guy's find out anything else from the families?" You asked. Sam nodded and grabbed his computer from his backpack he had set beside the bed when he came in. After opening it up and clicking a few time's, he pulled up a few video's he had in his email box. The video was of someone recording their hike with their friends, during the day. 

The video quality was trash but Sam cleared it up to the point where everything was visible. He let one video play and what he slowed down and enhanced for you to see made your stomach tie in a knot.

"Holy Mary, Mother of......" You just trailed off as Sam nodded. "Dean and I had thought it was just because of the video quality that maybe the image distorted and made the picture produce in doubles." Sam explained with a sigh. "But with the report from Ranger Eckhart, well, I guess we really are dealing with two here." You nodded but never took your eye's away from the two hulking figure's dangling in the tree's for no more than a few seconds in the video before they vanished, the red glow of their eye's easy to make out even in broad daylight.

They were massive. bigger than any Wendigo you had seen before. And what's worse, here now was proof that two of them existed in the same stretch of territory. They were the size of a real life Grizzly Adam's and they were hunting together. You knew that they would still be hungry. 

"Well now we know there are really two Wendigo's sharing a territory out here in Galena fucking Idaho." Dean stated as he tested the lighters attached to the small propane tanks to make sure that it would light. "Which by the way, _no_ Hunter has **ever** heard of before." 

Sam sighed at his brother in exasperation before looking down at you. "So what do we do now?" It amazed you that he would even think to ask you, considering that you were still new to the whole Team Up game. But when you answered back, it was with confidence. 

Pushing yourself back up to a sitting position again you looked from Sam to Dean and back again as you spoke. "It doesn't change anything." You began. "We still know how to kill them, and there are still people out there that could still be alive. It's getting close to winter and its already cold here in Galena. So maybe the instinct to store their food up made the Wendigo's pack the campers away somewhere to feed on later when the rest of the game in the forest start to go underground. That give's us a chance at finding them alive."

Your statement seemed to give Sam some ease and you got up from the bed completely, going to open the door slightly to allow yourself to walk out without showing the arsenal that was currently laying out on the small table from passing maids.

"Get dressed in something easier to move in." You instructed quickly, catching the sight of Dean watching you again from the corner of the room. You chose to ignore it as you had more pressing matter's to attend to. "I'll meet you outside in fifteen." Then you shut the door and went to your own room to change out again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm Sorry! I know the teasing is torture. But I promise, you'll get your time with Dean VERY soon! Bear with me just a little longer. ;)


	6. Repressed Nightmares part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second part like I promised! Happy Reading everyone!

All three of you rode to the station in the Impala and after gathering your equipment, began the five mile hike up the mountain trail. You all agreed that since the Wendigo's nature was not set on any specific time to hunt, you had might as well go straight in. It was 2:17 PM now and you had about two and a half hours before the sun would start going down. So now was the time to hunt.

You found the campsite quickly. Everything had been taped off to preserve the crime scene as much as possible. Once you got a good look at the area, there wasn't a doubt in your mind that when you found the hikers, not **if** but **when** , not all of them would be going home alive. There was just too much blood splattered everywhere to be optimistic about that.

That fact weighed heavy on your heart, but in truth, you had not expected to be leading all of the missing people out of these miserable woods.

"I think we should split up." You said in a bit of a hushed tone. "Lets try to find more of those claw marks on the tree's or something. It might not leave a trail on the ground, but with claws that size it's impossible not to leave **something**." Both Sam and Dean looked at you as if you'd grown a second head.

"No." Dean said with angry determination. "Hell no! None of us should go out on our own on this hunt. Especially not you." He managed to mutter the last sentence but you had heard it loud and clear. The statement pissed you off just a tad. "Why, because I'm a girl?" You retorted, your tone was a bit harsher than you intended. But you continued just the same. 

"Because if one of the Wendigo's come after me I don't have the benefit of having something dangling between my legs to fight them off?" Dean flushed red and his eye's widened to the size of saucers as he stumbled on his words. "What? No! I... I mean I.... No!..." But Sam spoke up in his brothers defense. "Y/N, we promised Bobby we'd look out for you." He said, puting a hand on Dean's shoulder to silence his stammering brother.

With that, your residual anger died and you sighed, taking in Dean's crestfallen face. You clutched your flare gun a bit more loosely since it was digging painfully into your palm. "Look guy's," You started, switching the gun from your right to your left and reaching the free hand up to pinch the bridge of your nose for a moment in frustration.

"I get that Bobby asked you two to watch me, but I'm way more capable of taking care of myself than he or either of you think." You dropped your hand and let your gaze settle on them. Their plaid shirts and dark brown and green jackets a perfect camoflauge to blend to the surroundings.

"I was on my own for a very long time. I hunted a lot and some of those hunts were Wendigo's and werewolves, Ruguru's and Vetala's. Things you should hunt for with a partner, I hunted solo. You don't have to worry about me the same way you would anyone else. Unlike most female Hunter's, I'm not afraid to hunt alone." The look they both gave you was two parts 'she's insane' and one part 'she's a total badass' from Dean's side. You'd take the 'she's a total badass' part and be happy with that.

"I'll be fine." You swore and you could see the indecision on their face's. "If I get into trouble, I swear, I'll send up one of my flare's." Another moment of staring at one another, and Sam turned to Dean with a deep and unsettled sigh. "She does have a point Dean." He relented, although unwillingly. "And we can cover more ground by spreading out." Dean looked at him that suggested he was both bat shit insane and a traitor. But Dean _had_ to understand.

"Dean?" You said gently, vieing for his attention. When you got it, you took a slow step forward and stood directly in front of the older brother, the older Hunter, and looked him in the eye's. "Please." Was the only plea you voiced, and you waited patiently as he continued to stare at you for a long moment. 

Seconds ticked by and you waited in silence as pain twisted in your gut that he didn't trust you, until finaly, he nodded. "Alright." He whispered. "Whatever you say Y/N." You heard the torture in his voice but relief swept over you as you sighed. "Thank you."

After agreeing to split up you headed farther north towards the opposite side of the mountain as Dean went west and Sam took the east. About an hour later with the sun falling low in the sky you came up with zilch. Heaving a deep sigh, you started heading back towards the campsite to meet up with the boy's again.

Before you had even taken a step in that direction, a deep growl sounded from above you. On pure instinct, you raised your flare gun from next to your waist, to pointing up into the tree's at a Wendigo the size of Paul fucking Bunyan. 

It roared at you suddenly and you squeezed the trigger. But before you could get the shot off, the sound of groaning wood echoed beneath your feet, and the next thing you knew you had fallen through an old abandoned mining shaft. 

Your head spun from the throbbing ache of having your head strike the floor. Hot white pain lanced through your entire right side and you knew that the jagged splinters of wood you had fallen through had cut deep into your flesh on that side of your body.

A loud moan of pain escaped you but another growl silenced you, making you look up at the gapping hole above you to see the massive Wendigo glaring down at you with blazing scarlet eye's. You fumbled, looking for your gun but it had flown to lay against the far wall of the cavern when you fell. Adrenaline pumped rapidly through your vein's like the blood of a race horse as you ignored your pain and sat up. 

But before you had the chance to make a grab for your weapon, the Wendigo screamed, blood curdling and angry, before going up in flames. The ashes falling down the hole and blanketing you in a thick layer of foul smelling soot. 

About a minute later, you heard the sound of the boy's calling your name. "Y/N?!" "Y/N!" "Hey, Y/N!" "Oh God." You looked up to meet the faces of a distraught Dean and Sam Winchester and you saw that they both stared down at you from.... 'Holy shit.' You thought suddenly. 'I fell and survived a twelve foot drop onto my back?' You hesitantly started checking every limb to ensure its functionality. Sure enough, everything was in order. 'Damn.'

"Hey boy's." You turned your face back up to look at them and try for your best smile that you instantly knew came out as a grimace by the panic you saw errupt on their faces. By now the adrenaline had gotten you up and back onto your feet so you did notice the slight limp in your step as you walked over to your discarded gun. you bent down to retrieve it, only stopping when you suddenly heard a low pitched moan coming from the tunnel opening to your right. 

"Y/N, don't move." Dean called down to you as your attention swiveled to focus on the sounds direction, straining to hear more."We'll be right down." That made you look back up at him and wave him off. "No guy's. We still have a hunt to finish." You reminded them firmly. "Find another way in so that we can all get out of here." You reached into your front right pocket to grab another flare and load it into your gun since the other one had fired when you fell.

"What?!" Came Dean's instant protest. "We're not leaving you down there Y/N, fuck that!" Dean leaned over the hole in rage to glare down at you before Sam pushed him back to ask, "What do you mean 'all of us'?" You motion towards the tunnel to your right while you wrapped one arm around your injured side, protecting it as you spoke. "I heard something coming from further down the tunnel just now. Voices. It _could_ be the missing hikers." You said, leaving the other possibility out. 

Dean evidently didn't seem to want to lose sight of it though. " _Or_ , it could be that other damned Wendigo." He snarled. There was no arguing with the older Winchester. So instead, you ignored the comment and proceeding to walk straight into the tunnel.

"Just find a way down here." You called back loud enough so that your voice would carry up to them as you walked away from the hole. "I'm not sure if I can get everyone out on my own." You limped away from the hole and made your way further into the tunnel, ignoring the sound's of Dean and Sam yelling for you to come back.

*****

After a while of getting turned around by going from corridor to corridor, you finaly managed to find the heart of the nest. Like you had predicted, two of the hikers, both men, were already dead. But the other four, though weak, were still alive. Three women and one other man were more than happy to see you, and even happier when you used the serated end of your Bowie knife to cut them free of the restraints. "Don't worry," You began, keeping your voice low and urging the histeric women to do the same.

"I'm here to get you guy's back home." One of the women sobbed out a pitiful thank you before nodding vigorously. "Thank you. Oh God, thank you so much." You only nodded and regarded her for a moment as she seemed to be the more controled of all the other's at the moment. "What's your name?" You attempted to both sooth the frightened woman and gain a bit of help in getting these people out of that feeding station you were all standing in.

She sobbed again before replying. "Jenny." She choked out. "Jenny Kingsley." You nodded agian. You had read her file along with the other's from the case. "Ok Jenny," You began as you pushed to Bowie into her hand. "I'm a little banged up right now so I'm gonna need some help in getting everyone out of here safely. Do you think you can help me keep your friends as calm and as quiet as possible?" You gave the blond haird woman an almost pleading look. "I'll protect you if that thing comes back but I'm no match for it if everyone scatters or starts screaming. That'll bring it down on us even faster than what I can prepare for." 

After a moment of intense internal debate on Jenny's behalf, she nodded and gripped the Bowie tightly to her body. You inwardly sighed in relief. "Ok then." You whispered, and looked around at the survivors. "Now I need you all to stay low, stay quiet, and follow me. Alright." You instructed calmly but firmly.

"I'm gonna get you all out of here and back to your families, alright? I give you my word." It's a stupid thing to say since you can't promise that, but the look of absolute trust and determination you get back doesn't make you regret it one damn bit. You raised your flare gun again and started limping down another path where you found drag-lines and steady footprints in soft dirt.

Jenny walked directly behind you while clutching the other three hikers closely to her back and you stayed directly in front of them to gaurd against anything that might pop out to attack from the front. They were all too happy to let you take the lead. Odds were that this was your best bet in finding a way out of that fucking tunnel.

Another five minutes of walking and you heard something snap in front of you around the bend in the corridor. You instantly made the campers get up against the cavern wall as you flipped the hammer back on the flare gun. You edged along the wall and once you heard the footsteps get about as close as you needed to make it a clean shot you jumped out with your gun ready to fire.

"Wow, wow Y/N! Y/N, it's us! Don't shoot it's us!" Dean hissed furiously as you prepared to fire the round into his chest dead center. You stayed your hand on time and dropped the gun to your side. At the rate your heart was racing you were surprised it hadn't exploded yet.

"Shit, am I happy to see you boy's."You whispered, both exstatic and exhausted. Dean gave you a critical once over to assess all your injuries before walking closer and placing one hand on your shoulder to hold you up against the wall gently.You let him, and you've never been more grateful for the help.

Sam came up from behind him and went to check on the hikers. Dean's gaze stayed darting around the cavern as you breathed heavily, trying to stave off the pain that was returning now that the adrenaline was leaving your system. You couldn't stay there. That much was certain. 

"Let's get them outta here." You said and heaved yourself away from the wall with a deep sigh of ache as you tried to take a step forward. **Try** being the operative word.

You fell to your knees as exhaustion caused your legs to buckle from under you. The pain flaring up in your right side was more noticable now and holy hell did it hurt. "Wow, Y/N, stop!" Dean fretted in the hushed tone he had used earlier as he dropped down to your side as you drew in a gasping breath. 

"Ugghhh. Dammit." You cursed and pulled the hand that was pressed to your right side away to look at it, the entire palm and finger's covered in so much blood it was nearly dripping from your skin there.

"Yeah, that's gonna hurt in the morning." You huffed out irritably and tried to get a laugh behind it but that only made it hurt worse. When you tried to get back up, Dean stopped you from exerting too much energy by holding you still in place.

"Hey, no c'mon. Take it easy Y/N. Here, let me." Dean instructed as he gently wrapped his hand's around your waist and helped to pull you to your feet. You hissed in white hot agony as his grip tightened a bit when you almost fell back down. He instantly let you go, his hand coming away covered in bright red blood. 

"Shit." Dean hissed in worry and then cupped his hands on both of your cheeks to raise your face to meet his gaze. "Just hang on Y/N, alright. I'm gonna get you out of here." As you stared into his eye's, your heart swelled with trust. Trust in Dean. You nodded, and instead of allowing you to just lean on him, he stationed one arm behind your back while the other swooped down to knock your knees out from under you. Hauling you up and into his thick and capable strong arm's so that your bleeding side was pressed against his body, protected by his muscular torso. 

If the situation wasn't as dire as it was, you might have actually been able to sport a blush. Instead, you wrapped on arm around his neck while the other draped over your middle to hold you still aching side.

Sam took point and led the shaking campers and you out of the tunnel and into the fresh moonlight air. The opening to the mine was on a steep incline but there had been just enough room for everyone to stand on. 

Just as you were about to celebrate with the giddy survivors at finaly being out of that hole again, a loud squealing hiss vibrated through the air. The campers began to scream and whine as Sam and Dean tensed up. You grabbed at Dean's jacket and forced him to look down at you with his bright and alert, emerald shaded eye's. "Put me down Dean." You urged and his eye's widened before he shook his head furiously.

"Hell no!" He snapped out in a low tone. "You're in no condition to fight Y/N." "And you can't fight while I'm in both your arm's!" You countered quickly. "I can stand on my own at least so Sam won't be fighting alone." You insisted and after a few moments he relented and placed you down on your feet. Staying close until he was sure you wouldn't fall as soon as his touch left you.

As soon as your feet touched the ground, the last Wendigo lundged down from the tree's and aimed directly for you and a still unarmed Dean. Time seemed to slow down as you felt Dean's hand's tighten around your hips, ready to pull you behind him and take on the force of the attack. But you had been quicker. 

Within the time it took to shove Dean out of the way, aim your flare gun and shoot the damned thing, the Wendigo had collided with your battered body and you were knocked backwards over the edge. Falling head first down the incline as the Wendigo caught fire and the burning remanents of its form sprayed you in smoldering ash as you both fell.

"Y/N!!!" You heard Dean scream your name before you hit the ground hard and started rolling, hitting every branch, shrub and jutting stone on the way down. You raised your arm's and protected your head and neck as you flew down the hillside.

You curled your body into itself before you rolled to a stop at the bottom of the incline. About five minutes passed while you just laid there. You had never been prone to weakness but even your threshold for pain had its limits. Your body felt as if it had just been through a meat grinder.

The sound of footsteps coming closer piqued your fading conciousness and you turned your head in its direction, Dean's name already on your tongue when you froze. 

The man that leaned down to brush your hair out of your eye's was not Dean. It was.. "Damon." Your voice came out, tight with pain as it enunciated each letter like something sacred. Damon smirked sadly at you before he spoke.

"Hey baby." He crooned softly and brushed his thumb down your cut and bleeding cheek. "How are you..." "Here?" Damon finished for you. He shook his head slowly. "Doesn't matter. What **does** matter is that you get up and shake this off." He gave you a small smile and it caused you to laugh which caused pain to rack through your ribcage. "What make's you think I can?" You asked softly.

"I'm tired Damon. I don't know what I'm doing anymore." The sentence was vague but you knew Damon would understand. 'He always understands.' You thought vaguely. "I know Y/N." He stated and settled his hand to cup your cheek. "But I know my girl, and my girl doesn't give up." He brushed his thumb at the stream of blood coming from the open cut on your cheek. "Not _ever_."

His voice was starting to echo and fade, and fear made you gather the strength you needed to reach out to him. "Damon wait, don't leave me!" You cried out and de'javu hit strongly as you were so close to spilling tears it disgusted you.

"You don't ever give up Y/N." Damon repeated as his phantom form began to fade. "My baby is stronger than anyone, and she doesn't ever give up." Damon's image wavered one last time before it suddenly disappeared, his voice still echoing in the distance as you felt the thunder of heavy footfalls drop down the cliff to land beside you. 

As Dean gathered you in his arm's and cradled you close to his chest, you only heard one voice as all the others in the real world called your name. Damon's affirmation in his silken voice as it repeated over and over in your mind.

'I know my girl. And **my** girl, doesn't ever give up.'

*****

Dean had carried you all the way down the rest of the path, holding you so close to his body that every step he took vibrated softly through his body into yours.

Once everyone had made it down the mountain and the ambulance was called to treat the victims as well as yourself, though the perimedic's had to work around a clutching Dean who all but growled at them when you hissed in pain the Park Rangers and the local law inforcement came in to get everyone's statements.

"Ranger Russo?" Ranger Eckhart walked up to you, taking off his hat and watching you steadily as the perimedics worked on you. Dean loosened his grip and shifted his stance a bit so that he was no longer as intimately close as he had been before. You instantly missed the press of his chest against your back but you understood why he had to pull back a bit. The last thing you needed was the Ranger commenting on the unproffesionalism of two 'supossed federal and state's agents'. 

You nodded acknowlegement to the young Ranger and he stepped closer to you, dragging a critical gaze over Dean's lingering form before he spoke. "The town of Galena would like to extend their gratitude to you and your companions in finding the missing hikers." His eye's went over to where Jenny and the other man were huddled together and giving their own statement's to the policemen there before turning back.

"However, I am required to take your statement as you are a fellow Park Ranger, along with the statement of your two.... co-operative's." He stated. Your stomach squeezed slightly but you showed no sign of your discomfort.

You had all discussed this on your way down the mountain. Everyone would say that it had been a huge bear that had attacked them. That the campers had ran and hid in a nearby mine where two of their companions had died from their injuries. This is the statement you gave to the Ranger.

Along with the additional information of finding the mine and following the footprints you had found on the dusty floor. Your companion's by your side when the campers were found. Upon leading the campers out of the mine the bear decended upon you all. 

It attacked and you took fire. The bear charged and you and it were both sent falling down the cliff. Thus explaining your current state. Afterwards the bear ran off, injured and afraid back into the woods. Ranger Eckhart looked at you as if he had a very hard time believing you but given that you were banged up and bleeding and in their eye's you had no reason to lie, he just nodded and wished you farewell.

You nodded back at him, feeling exhaustion creep through your bones as the perimedic cleaned and covered the three deep cuts still bleeding on your cheek. The Ranger waved goodbye and walked away to go to greet the man and Jenny that had made it back down the mountain as the other bodies were being extracted from the cave.

Jenny turned her head to meet your stare over Ranger Eckhart's shoulder and when he got closer to hug her, she held your gaze and nodded once, mouthing 'Thank you' as she pulled the man closer. You nodded back to her. This was always the part of the job that made it worth it. 

Getting people back home to their friends and families. The people that love and cherish them. Saving them from the things that go bump in the night. Being able to bump back, make's it all worth it. When Dean shifted back over to you, he picked you up off of the ambulence's back step and turned to sit there himself so that you now sat on his lap.

"Hey," His voice was thick and rough as he spoke down to you and curled you closer to him by wrapping your arm's tighter around your bruised and battered body. You looked up into dark green eye's and noticed that the shade seemed to shift. You thought maybe they changed hue according to mood. An entertaining idea considering that you would love to see what color they changed if you ever managed to have him in your bed.

You mentally shook yourself. You were teamates now. That kind of thinking would only lead to trouble later on down the road. 'No, stop it Y/N.' You berated yourself softly as you focused back on the fact that Dean was talking to you. 'He's not for you.'

"You alright?" he asked, his tone tight and huskey with worry. Your body tensed for all of one second before you smiled at him falsely. "Yeah." You said happily and reached your hand up to brush the small cut Dean had above his right eye. "I'm ok now. Thank you Dean." Your gaze bounced over the cut and a few other scrapes and bruises you saw, and frowned.

That made his eyebrows scrunch up like if he was contemplating something. "What?" He asked, a bit skeptical and weary. You pursed your lips together for a moment. "Are **you** ok?" You asked, worry etched clearly onto your brow.

Out of nowhere, Dean suddenly burst into a fit of soft chuckles, shaking you in his hold as he laughed. "What's so funny?" You asked, a bit defensively. Dean took a breath and settled down a bit as he tried to speak. 

"Nothin' sweetheart, nothin'." He chuckled again. "It's just that.... You fell twelve feet straight down into a hole, got all cut up from that. Almost got eaten by a Wendigo if I hadn't have followed it with Sam. Pretty much got donkey kicked over the side of a pretty steep ass hill. Rolled all the way down that hill and hit every stick, tree and stone on the way down and you still ask me if **I'm** ok?" He laughed again,but this time it was more controled.

"I'm sorry, but that's just really funny to me." He finished and his arm's tightened gently around you as he tucked your head under his chin and rocked you back and forth in your arm's. 

You wanted to laugh. The position was just so bizare but it felt calming and even a little reassuring. You relaxed in his hold as you laughed along with him. "What can I say, I have a soft spot for wayward boy's with pretty green eye's." You chuckled and hid a smirk as he looked back down at you suddenly.

"Boy?" He questioned in mock hurt. "I'm all _man_ sweetheart." He said and pulled one arm away to stretch it out and flex his jacket clad bicep. You laughed again as you reached out to flatten the material around the muscles outline. 

"Hmm, I can see that." You giggled again and he turned his head to look at you once more. Your smile fell. Your faces were inches away from each other, breathing the same air and sharing the warmth between yourselves in the cold Fall night. You stayed that way for a long moment, your hand still on his arm even as it fell to wrap back around your body and somehow manage to pull you even closer. Pressing hard against your side and **Thank God** for those heavenly painkillers the perimedic had pumped you full of. 

Dean blinked slowly and you got the chance to admire those beautiful eye's of his and counted a few rows of his light little freckles before he spoke again. His voice as soft as a whisper "Are you sure you're alright Y/N?" You could feel the weakness slowly spreading through your body as you desperately needed sleep but refrained from it. Not wanting to miss a second of this moment at all.

You nodded and a breathy sigh that was meant to be a 'yes' escaped from your mouth. You coughed in your mouth to clear your throat before trying again. "Yes. I'm ok." And the look in Dean's eye's softened so much you felt like you could melt into those now evergreen pools.

He leaned forward slightly, slow enough to softly press his forehead against yours, ignoring your soft gasp as he locked his gaze with yours again. "Good." He breathed against your lips and gave you a shy smile. This time, you didn't look away.

*****

You made it back to the lodge and packed all of your clothes with the help of both Sam and Dean since your right arm had been put into a sling. Sam even helped you put up your long hair into a ponytail to keep it out of your face after strapping the Bowie he had gotten from Jenny back into the sheath along your spine. There was no way in hell you were going to stay any longer than necessary in Galena Fucking Idaho.

When you passed through the lobby with Dean on your right and Sam on your left, Daniel was at the concierge desk and gave you a sympathetic and try-as-you-might seductive look that you desperately wanted to laugh at but didn't have the energy to do so. 

You tipped your head in acknowledgement and walked out the open door Dean was holding for you. You also didn't notice the venomous glare Dean shot at the guy. That made you gather strength enough to chuckle as you passed the older Winchester, handing him the complementary stay coupon with Daniel's number on it. Dean could get rid of it for you. 

You looked at the key's for Bastian and then at your winged arm in the sling. You turned and sighed as you looked at the boy's. "I don't usually do this." You began, squeezing the key's in your hand hard enough to make the metal dig into your palm. "Like, ever."

They looked at you with tilted head's and confused expression's. "I'm gonna need one of you to drive Bastian back to Bobby's." Each word you choked out was like eating road salt but it was the only logical choice. You couldn't drive with an injured arm. 

Sam's face immediately lit up at the offer and you instantly regreted it. "I can drive your car back Y/N." He offered and the thought made your stomach churn. But still, you held out your hand slowly to give him the key's. 

At the last moment you pulled them back and stared at him with a look full of heated metal as he waited. "One scratch and it's your ass Winchester." You warned. "Bastian is my pride and joy so you be careful with him." 

Sam gave you a firm nod and you reached over to drop the key's into his very large hand. His finger's gently wrapped around the key's and he said, "I promise I'll be very careful with him Y/N. You have my word." before walking over to Bastian, unlocking his driver side door and opening it to slide his large frame into the seat.

"He used to have a Charger back when he was hunting alone." Dean said from behind you as he threw his duffel and Sam's into the back of the Impala. You turned to look at him as he reached down to take your duffel and set it down next to his in the trunk before shutting it.

"He'll take care of Bash for you." You blinked at the nickname he just used for your car, though the information of Sam having had his own car similar to yours settled your nerves....... just a bit. You nodded and decided not to address the nickname. You were too tired. That fact being made evident when you had to cover your mouth to yawn for about a full minute. 

Dean chuckled slightly and walked around to open up Baby's passenger door for you. "C'mon." He urged. "Get in. You can sleep on the way back to Sioux Falls." The very thought of sleep had you scrambling to get into the car. Dean shut the door carefully to avoide catching one of your limbs with it, and moved around the front to get into the drivers seat and start the engine.

You had just barely pulled out of the Lodge and caught a glimpse of Sam behind the wheel of Bastian before your eye's closed, and refused to open again.

*****

About six hours later you came to, wrapped up in a warm blanket and facing the window. The sun coming out being the reason that you had even woken up at all. 

You were about to take a deep breath and stretch to announce that you were awake, until you heard Dean's voice on his cell phone stop you from following through.

"Yeah, we're about thirteen hours out. We should be back at your place at around seven or eight tonight." He was saying into the reciever. You kept your breathing slow and gentle so that Dean wouldn't know that you were awake.

You could slightly hear the gruff voice of another man at the other end of the phone as you continued to listen. "Yeah." His voice suddenly dropped, taking on a solemn tone. "She's alright. A little banged up but, damn Bobby, she was amazing." He let out a soft chuckle and you closed your eye's as you heard it. 

"Stubborn as a mule but one damn good Hunter." You smiled inside at the feel of Dean's praise. Then, "Listen, um, Bobby," He began, and his tone turned more serious. "When Y/N killed the last Wendigo, she, she had a pretty hard fall and took a good knock to the head..." Angry mumbling came out of the reciever and you could practically see Bobby ranting at the phone back at his place and Dean holding the phone away from his ear in the drivers seat next to you as the older Hunter berated him.

"Bobby, Bobby hey, She's ok!" Dean hissed back into the phone in an attempt to calm the surly old bear of a Hunter. "The perimedics checked her out and said she had a slight concussion, a few little scrape and bruises but she's fine. She just needs a few days rest and they said she'd be right as rain after." Dean sighed. "But listen," He began again.

"When I got down to her, she was, I don't know, talking to someone. But nobody was there, you know?" Your eye's flew open. 'Ho-ly shit.' You thought, fear making your body tense. Dean had heard you talk to Damon's shadow.

"And uh, she said a name too." He continued. 'FUCK!' In the slight pause you knew Bobby was most likely asking something along the line's of, 'What was the name?' and panic shot up your heartrate to and incredible speed. 

"The name was Damon." Dean stated frankly and your heart nearly stopped. "Do you know who that is?" The tone of suspicion was not easy to miss since it laced his words like tangible jealousy. 

At that second you didn't know whether you should be angry that Dean was prying into your past, or terrified that he might actually find something you've been trying to hide. 

You knew he wouldn't get anything out of Bobby. When you went off the grid, you literaly went off the grid. Shutting off all lines and connections you had made throughout the years as a Hunter and burying every identity you had created for yourself. Bobby didn't know anything about the years you had spent with Damon. He only knew the before and after story in that period of time. But still, Dean's digging scared the hell out of you.

Without moving your head an inch you cast your gaze up to look outside the window at the pink and orange sky of dawn. Sending up a silent plea that he would let the subject drop before he uncovered a past you didn't want to remember.


	7. Shed a little light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've made you guy's wait long enough. Thank you for being so patient with me. Here is your reward! Happy reading.

Two weeks had passed since the Wendigo hunt in Galena and thing's had settled down into a comfortable routine at Singer Salvage. Every day while you waited for new hunts to spring up, you would spend your day with each member of your makeshift new Team. 

Castiel was unresponsive to the prayers that both Sam and Dean had sent up to him. They had tried to get him to come so that he could heal your injuries but with everything Cas seemed to be wrapped up in, he couldn't make it. It was fine with you though. You had survived worse and that was before you had an Angel who could help. You'd be fine in a couple more day's.

Already your arm was out of the sling and most of your cuts and bruises had healed over. You now woke up every morning and either went outside to work on Bastian or help Dean when he asked for assistance washing and waxing Baby.

In the evening's you would go into the living room with Sam and read a few book's. Some for the enjoyment and other's to brush up on the lore. You would also spend a good amount of time outside with Brutus. Playing with the big Roti as if he were a puppy but also teaching him new tricks and training him the way you had done with your old dog.

Bobby would ask you to go into town with him from time to time to pick up a few supplies and every night the four of you would sit down at the dinner table or in the living room and eat dinner together and watch TV. It was an amazing feeling to have something this close to a family again. After you had left Mystic Falls, you had isolated yourself from other Hunters. But here, with these men, it felt like something more. ..... It felt like home. Just like Bobby said.

Thing's between you and Dean had also seemed to have gotten better. You both started getting closer. Though there for a while, every other word out of his mouth was to ask if you were ok or if he could get you anything. It had bugged you a little with having someone baby you. During those times you would often sneak away to the garage and work under Bash's hood. Dean's use of the nickname had gotten more and more pronounced and it started to grow on you. 

After Dean noticed that his mother Henning had been getting on your nerves a little, he backed off just a bit and opted to just keep you company instead. You were happy with that. Just to have him there to talk to and joke with. It was perfect.

Within the last few day's of healing he hardly let you do anything alone. Which was both sweet and slightly annoying but you were willing to tolerate it for the fact that he was just trying to be nice. You let him do as he pleased.

You let him help you clean up after you were covered in oil from working on Bastian. You let him fret when you turned wrong or put too much pressure on your right side and hissed in pain. And most of all, you let him be the one to wake you up from the nightmares you had. You let him be the one to hold you in his arm's as you tried to go back to sleep.

Something had shaken loose back in Galena. Something you had kept buried for years. A type of repressed nightmare started haunting your dream's. You couldn't remember these like the one you had back in Idaho, but that didn't mean you had no idea what it was about. You'd wake up in a cold sweat on the cot in Bobby's study. Your gun would shake in your hand as you aimed for shadow's that weren't there. Dean would start coming down to the study when your bed would knock against the wall during your thrashing.

He also started staying on the couch in the living room so that he could get to you quicker. But after the fifth time, he managed to convince you to go upstairs with him and sleep in one of the beds up there instead. Taking Brutus up with you.

Bobby had started letting Brutus into the house at night to sleep with you since he didn't like the idea of you sleeping at ground level alone. When Dean got you to take the bed he had been sleeping in, Brutus went with you. Dean chose to occupy the couch that was set up in the corner of the room but in the dead of night when you would wake up screaming, he would wrap you in his arm's and whisper soothing word's to you as he settled in the bed close to your body. 'So much for staying away.' You thought with a sad smile.

Brutus would jump onto the bed along side you during those moment's and continuously lick your face. Almost as if he was telling you not to worry. That it was ok to be close to Dean. To want him in the way that you did. It was ok to feel that way. He would whine at you slightly before curling up on your left and laying his huge head down over your legs in a protective position.

"Such a good boy." You whispered to him one night as you settled yourself into Deans arm's, the right side of your back pressed against his chest. Trying to sleep but unable to knock out, Dean huffed as he rubbed the side of his thumb down your left arm softly. You were enclosed in his arm's as he made you lean back more against him, tucking your head under his chin as he did.

It made you feel as if you were in the safest place in the world. "Yeah." Dean relented after a long pause and a contented sigh. "I guess he kind of is." His whispering voice sounded husky and smooth at the same time.

You looked up to see into his eye's and he moved slightly to be able to glance down at you. A barely-there smile curled itself onto his lips. "Why don't you like dog's, Dean?" You asked quietly, not wanting to break the tranquility of the silence in the room.

He shifted a little and you could tell he was uncomfortable with the question. You immediately regretted asking. "I'm sorry." You backtracked. "You don't have to answer..." "No." Dean cut in softly, breathing a sigh as he continued. "No. It's not that." He kept his voice calm and quiet, just like yours. "I mean... my problem isn't really so much with all dog's. Just a certain type." He blinked slowly and you could see the deep look in his eye's cast a dark shadow over the usually bright irises. Instantly, you understood exactly what he meant. "Hellhound's." You breathed and Dean gave a mechanical nod as his eye's closed for a long moment.

"A few years back," He began softly in a shaky voice. "Sam, was taken from me and was forced to fight other people in order to survive. He died in my arm's. Me being the man I am I.... I couldn't accept that he was gone. So, I made a deal with a Crossroads Demon." He licked his lips and his eye's opened again but they didn't look at you. "My soul for Sam's life." You shifted a little so that you could look at him face to face, an intense look knitting your eyebrows together as you did so. He let you move and just resettled his arm's around your waist.

"I got my wish, and a year later my ticket came due." Your eye's widened as you inhaled sharply. You wanted to ask, but you didn't want to interrupt him. Evidently, Dean figured that out and looked at you, waiting for you to ask. You took a deep breath and began. "Crossroad deals are ten year contracts." You stated obviously. "How did yours come due so soon?" Your voice was small and your heart ached for Dean's sake.

Dean tensed up against you and you grabbed at his soft cotton sleeping shirt, rubbing slow cirlces into the fabric and the hard muscle beneath it. He took a deep breath to settle his raging heartbeat before continuing. "My name just so happened to be famous in Hell at the time I made the deal. And when I called to make it the Demon who showed up knew it was to get my little brother back. Fucking red eye'd bitch took advantage of that." His voice went hard and his eye's seemed to loose a bit of the humanity within them, which scared the hell out of you. Making you press your fingers a little harder into his flesh.

"She edited my contract so that I'd get Sam out of Hell, but I had to take his place in a year." Dean blinked hard and you could literally feel your heart squeeze in your chest as if someone was crushing it in their hands. "I wanted Sam back so bad... I didn't think twice about it." He looked at you then, and some of the darkness softened as his gaze met yours. 

"I made the deal, and sure enough, when that year rolled around, Hellhounds came after me, and I got dragged down into the Pit." You felt like you were going to be sick. You had seen the mangled bodies of Hellhound victims before. You knew only too well how painful those beasts could make someone's death. The thought of Dean going through a torture like that both broke your heart and filled you with rage.

You looked at him closely as another thought came to you. "But, if you died back then, how are you here?" You asked, and fear hit you strong enough that you reached up to touch his face just to confirm that Dean was in fact there and breathing. Alive. You didn't care that it was a really intimate gesture. All you thought about was the reality that Dean was there beside you.

He didn't seem to care much either as he closed his eye's and leaned into the touch rather than pull away from it. "I have Cas and God to thank for that I guess." He murmured and you thought back on the weary feeling Castiel had given you when you'd first met. Even now the tendril of unease was still slightly there when the Angel and you were in close proximity but hearing that Cas had a hand in raising Dean from Perdition made all your doubt's of his motives and loyalty get thrown out the window. 

If the Angel had saved Dean, someone who had become so important to you in such a short amount of time, then the residual trepidation you had felt towards him would be snuffed out and forgotten. At least on your end. The look that the Seraph gave you every time you met still gnawed at you but now it was only because you wanted every part of Dean's family to accept you. You made a mental note to try harder to make that a reality.

"Cas went into Hell and pulled me out." Dean continued and you focused on him again. "For month's, every time I shut my eye's all I dreamt about was the Pit and being dragged down into it. Everything I did down there.." He sighed heavily. "It's not something I ever really got over." He pressed closer to your hand still on his face and his arm's tightened a bit around your middle. "I still have nightmares about it sometimes."

It broke your heart even more as you realized you weren't the only one who was being haunted by something. Suddenly your dreams seemed petty. They were about a boyfriend you **chose** to leave behind. Dean carried worse demons with him than you did. You didn't want to know that Dean was in that kind of pain. That _his_ dreams had been filled with shadowy, demonic pit bulls and tortured souls. That no one was there to comfort him when he thrashed around from his own nightmares in the middle of the night.

You stared at each other for a long moment. You were unable to find the words to offer the comfort that he was giving you every night. There were no word's. There was only action. So you took it.

You moved slightly and Brutus slid off of your legs, completely asleep, and you slowly brought your leg up and over to position yourself over Dean's legs. Straddling the older Winchester. A hint of surprise lurked in his now hungry looking irises but it quickly faded to a deep want as he slid his arm's back so that each hand cupped your hip's. You leaned in and caught his gaze, holding it for a few heartbeats before looking down at his lips. Anticipating the moment when you'd finally get to feel their supple looking texture, and honing in to capture his mouth with yours.

You both moved in perfect synchronization. Matching each lick and gentle tug of each others lips and tongue in tandem. God he tasted amazing. Both like the amazing dinner of pork chops and mashed potatoes Bobby had made for you all, and the Hershey bar you had gotten from town and shared with him afterwards. At some point, Dean's hand had snaked it's way up into your hair and gently but firmly held you in place as you both lost yourselves in passionate kisses. The way Dean cradled you close to his body. The feel of his arm's wrapping around you and the everlasting presence of Dean's nature seemed to ignite a spark in you so old that you had thought the fire would never be lit again.

You pressed your body closer to Dean's, involuntarily letting your aching clit rub against the hard length you discovered tucked up and to the left in the man's sweatpants. You and Dean both gasped in unison and a groan escaped you as Dean's hand's pulled you farther down into his lap to apply more friction to his hardening dick.

You threw your head back, breaking the kiss for a moment as you tried not to let a louder moan that wanted to escape you to sound in the quiet of the dark room. Dean reached up with one hand and wrapped his fingers behind the back of your neck to pull your head down so that you could look into his now lust blown eye's. 

"Y/N?" Dean's voice was thick and rich with want. A warm shiver ran up your spine as he stared at you. The look he gave you asked a question, and you found yourself nodding without even telling your body to do so. "Yes." You breathed out, almost desperately. "Dean, I want you." Dean's eye's fluttered closed as he moved his hips beneath you to grind up into your slit. Just as you were about to moan, Brutus whined beside you, and it turned into a frustrated groan from both you and Dean. 

Dean was breathing hard now but he pinned you with an apologetic look as he nudged at you to get off. Your body screamed in protest as you did as he bid. Watching as Dean got up from the bed and went around to lift the huge Roti out of the bed and carry him over to the bathroom. All the while he growled in protest at being moved. 

A smile played on your lips as he set the dog on the soft mat in front of the sink and hurried out to shut the door and lock the dog inside. Brutus whined again and pawed at the door for a moment before he went silent and Dean looked back at you with a wolfish grin and sharp eye's. The feeling of being prey washed over you as the beautiful man with green eye's stalked closer to you. Crawling onto the bed and settling over you between your spread thigh's. 

The length of his cock rubbed against your slit again and you moaned as he rocked back and forth above you. "Ah!" You exclaimed and your hand's came up to clutch at his back, pulling him lower and closer to your body. "Fuck Y/N." Dean growled as he pressed his hips harder against yours, grinding his pelvis in circle's above your now soaked pussy. 

"Dean," You panted, moving your hand's down to grip the waistband of his shorts. "I want you _in_ me." You breathed. "Now!" The hissed out demand dragged a tortured moan from Dean as his hips stopped moving and his head fell into the crook of your neck and after a moment, he nodded.

"Spread your leg's for me sweetheart." He leaned up to whisper seductively into your ear, scraping your earlobe with the blunt edges of his teeth and tugging gently before releasing it. You whimpered softly before obeying his command, spreading your legs wide as he crawled down your body to pause right above your pussy. He reached out and ran a hand from the top of your shorts all the way down the slit of your sex, pressing harder as he went from clit to opening. You arched your hips up against his touch, gaining more friction and greater pleasure from the movement. 

"Dean," You panted. "Please." This teasing was killing you. But Dean seemed to enjoy the sight of you writhing beneath him as a predatory grin spread across his lips. "Easy baby." He crooned and his hands came back up to hook into the material of both your shorts _and_ your underwear. "I'm gonna take real good care of you." And he tugged at the fabric around your hips. You lifted them up so that Dean could get the shorts off of you easier but when he only pulled them down to around the center of your calves you frowned.

But Before you could question him on the matter, Dean lifted your bent legs and ducked under them so that his head was now trapped in the space between your now _very_ exposed pussy and the twisted material around your calves. Both his hands wrapped around your thighs from underneath to hold them open for Dean to get the front row view of your spread open labia. He smiled up at you devilishly before returning his attention to your pussy, licking his lips as he fanned hot breath over the bundle of nerves.

"I'll make it so good for you Y/N." He said and his thick voice rumbled in his chest as you whimpered again. "Dean!" You complained. You wanted him inside of you already but the man seemed hell-bent on making you wait and suffer. He only laughed slightly as he rubbed his stubble covered cheek against your inner thigh. The feeling made you writhe in his hold and a good shiver curled from the point of contact up into your channel as he held you down to keep you from moving away. "Ah!" You hissed again and finally, Dean found mercy.

Suddenly, Dean moved one hand to spread your pussy's lips apart and then he moved his face down to start licking his way into your entrance. His mouth was hot and hungry. Demanding, as he devoured your pussy with a sense of urgency. The feeling made you throw your head back and slap a hand over your mouth to stifle the loud moan of pleasure that shot from your throat without warning. Deans hand's tightened their holds on your leg and your labia as your hips bucked up at the feeling of Dean's thick tongue penetrating your entrance roughly. 

Another cry escaped you but you did your best to muffle it. Dean's head snapped up suddenly, leaving your throbbing sex to fix you with a look of pure desire that nearly stopped your heart. "I want to hear you." Dean almost growled, his tone almost animalistic in his need for you. Your passion shot up as heat pooled deeper in your belly but you shook your head at him, removing your hand to speak as he scowled. " **They'll** hear me." Was all you said and by the way understanding and frustration dawned on his handsome face, you knew he understood who you meant. Bobby and Sam were sleeping in the other room's right next door.

Dean sighed unhappily but when he dropped his face directly over your slit again. "Dammit." He mumbled and for all of two seconds you feared that he was going to stop. He gratefully proved you wrong as his face dipped down again and his tongue plunged back into the confines of your need soaked entrance. Your head dropped back again as one hand dropped down the length of your body to fist itself into Dean's sandy blond hair.

"Ah, oh Dean! More. I need more baby." You whined and tried to twist in his hold to get him to come back up your body and get to the more amazing part. Dean chuckled against your sex and the vibrations that traveled through his driving tongue and massaging lips into your untouched clit made you feel ready to come right then and there.

Dean slid is dripping tongue out of you then, the lower half of his face covered in the wetness from your need soaked pussy as he pulled his head out from between your legs. Taking the constricting shorts all the way off before crawling back up your body and crushing his lips to yours, forcing you to taste yourself as his tongue slid into your mouth to dominate and lick all around the inside of it. The moan that propelled itself out of you this time was swallowed up by Dean's ravaging mouth.

As he lay over you, impatience set in and you reached for the hem of his shirt. You yanked it up to below his arm's, waiting for him to maneuver enough to get his arm's and head through the openings. Reluctantly, he broke the kiss and tore the shirt the rest of the way off of his body, exposing a broad chest, six pack ab's and a trimmed waist with hipbone trails that ran all the way down into the flannel sweatpants. Need shot up higher as he looked down at you from his straddling position and grabbed at his waistband.

"Gonna make it good for you Y/N" He growled out and he slowly, torturously pulled the sweatpants down. Once he yanked those off you got the full view of the length of his fully hard dick straining against his black boxer briefs. A wet spot made the material darker as pre-cum soaked the shorts and he slipped his finger's into the elastic waist to shove them down too. "Gonna make it so good for the both of us." He flung the underwear behind him somewhere and you watched as the long and thick appendage began making its way closer and closer to your throbbing sex.

"Dean," You ground out in a whisper. "Stop talking." He squinted for a second and then a smile spread his lips as he laughed. His hand went over to the nightstand beside the bed and dug around for a moment before it came back out with a condom between his fingers. He ripped the edge of the shiny package with his teeth and pulled the rubber out to position and roll it down the incredible girth of his cock.

Once prepared, he leaned down and pressed his forehead against yours, staring into your eye's as he instructed, "Breath." You did, and suddenly you felt the blunt head of his cock begin to split you apart deliciously. You gasped in a pleasure filled breath at the feeling of being stretched. Dean pushed himself in until he was balls deep sheathed inside of you, pausing for a moment only to let you adjust to the feeling of being so full before he bottomed out.

"Fuck." Dean breathed out but he never looked away from your eye's. "You're so good Y/N. So tight and hot. So wet for me." Then, he moved. Pulling almost completely out before he thrust back in all the way to the base of his aching cock.. 

You writhed beneath him as every nerve inside you rubbed shamelessly against Dean's rock hard shaft. He copied the movement over and over until the steady rhythm picked up speed just slightly. "Oh God. Oh Dean!" You threw your arm's around his shoulder's and dug your nails into his back, pulling him closer and holding him in place as you bucked your hips up to meet every thrust Dean gave you. "Faster!" It was a demand, not a request.

Deans eye's scrunched up in lust blown amusement and he moved his head to press against the curve of your shoulder instead as he switched positions to grind his hips down into you at a different angle. His cock hit that sweet spot inside of you that made you cry out in white hot bliss and Dean took it as direction as he locked his body in place to slam into that same spot over and over again. 

Dean's arm's curled under your back so that his hands could grip your shoulder's and hold you in place beneath him. Your legs came up and wrapped around his hips, your heels digging into Dean's firm ass to push his throbbing dick further into you. Sheer ecstasy washed over you as need seemed to pulse throughout your body with every heartbeat. 

"Dean." You panted trying to open your eye's and wondering when it was you had closed them. "It's too much baby." And Dean raised his head to look into your eye's, never slowing the rapid bucking of his hips for a moment even as he added a circular motion as he pushed in and pulled out. Your shirt had ridden up and Dean's hand came up to shove your blue lace bra out of the way to roll your left nipple between his fingers and give them a sharp pinch as he tugged them upwards. "I'm gonna come." You confirmed as warm tears gathered in your eye's at the pleasure.

Dean leaned down to gently kiss the tears away before he crushed his mouth down onto yours, his tongue delving into your mouth to mimic the same fucking motion his cock was doing to your pussy. Then he moved his hand from playing with your nipples down to your neglected clit and pressed his thumb down against it, teasing it with pressure for a moment before drawing little circles around the swollen bundle of nerves. 

"Come for me." Dean urged huskily against your lips and you felt his rhythm going erratically and one of the hands you had used to claw at Dean's back flew up to fist his short hair at the base of his neck as blinding white bliss cascaded over your body. Your heart nearly stopping from the instant relief as you screamed Dean's name and he covered your mouth with his to muffle the sound, swallowing down your moan.

Dean thrust into you two more times before his hips stuttered in their rapid rhythm and he shot so hard inside of you that you could feel the condom fill up with his warm cum. Your vaginal muscles clenched and fluttered around his softening cock as he continued to pump himself into you for another moment more, forcing you to milk every last drop of his seed from his spent dick before he stilled and collapsed on top of you.

Still connected, you both tried to regain your breathing as the residual warmth from your climax began to fade. A tired smile curled itself onto your lips and you sighed. Contented to just wrap your arm's tighter around Dean's broad shoulders and card your fingers softly through his sandy blond hair. Dean shifted slightly and moaned in satisfaction. "Mmmm, that feel's good Y/N." He murmured and seemed to gather his strength from his boneless body to raise his head to look at you. A devilish smile spread his lips as he spoke. "I think we forgot to be quiet a little towards the end there sweetheart." He commented and your hand in his hair froze which made him pout in protest.

"Shit, Dean." You commented in embarrassment and buried your reddening face in your hand's. You were by no means a prude but you didn't particularly enjoy the idea of Big Bear Bobby and Dean's little brother hearing the two of you going at it. "That is **so** embarrassing!" You hissed into your cupped hand's.

"Hey." Dean chuckled and suddenly thrust into you again, causing you to gasp in over sensitivity and drop your hands to grip his shoulders tightly. You glared at the gorgeous man laying on top of you as his bright white smile gleamed in the darkness, somewhat annoyed but mostly playful as he continued to speak. "Don't act like you didn't like it baby doll." He smirked and leaned down to peck your lips in a kiss again. The term of endearment made you break the glare to giggle at Dean. 

"Hmm," You mused, a teasing smile on your lips. "I guess you were alright." You just about died from giggling when his eye's widened and his mouth hung open at the comment. "Yeah right." Dean shot back, a mock grimace etched onto his face as he replied. "In my experience, no one screams like that unless they're seriously enjoying themselves." You laughed and moved your hands up to cup Dean's face. "Ok. Maybe you were great." You pulled him down to capture his mouth again, enjoying his oh so soft lips. "Maybe, amazing."

Dean laughed softly as he pressed his forehead to yours. Smile's slowly spread across your kiss bruised lips as you continued to gaze at each other for a long moment. "Not that I'm complaining at all," Dean murmured as his hand came up to play with a lock of hair that had fallen into your face. "But, what was that for?" The air he breathed out tingled as it danced across your sensitive lips.

You squinted your eye's in bliss as you answered. "I've always been a Action-speaks-louder-than-words type of person." You explained and your expression became solemn as your thumb's rubbed back and forth across his stubbly cheek's. "I wanted to show you that your not alone Dean." You bore your gaze into his and he stared back at you with thoughtfulness in his eye's as he watched you. 

"You're here for me every time I wake up clutching for ghost's that don't exist in my life anymore." Your stroking of his cheeks got softer, more sensual, and his eye's fluttered shut for a brief moment before opening them again. "I want to be there for you too Dean. If you'll let me." He leaned down and kissed you again, a very quick peck on the lips. 

You shook your head at his interruption. "You're very good at hiding, but I know how to read people. I've been doing it all of my life." You removed one hand from his cheek to move it down to press it against his chest over his heart. At the same time, the hand that had been playing with your hair moved away to press against your own, holding it against his chest and rubbing the skin on the back with his thumb.

"It's impossible for you to see everything in me Y/N." Dean said solemnly. "There are thing's about me that I've even hidden from myself. Everything I went through in Hell. All the pain I caused, All the mistakes I've made and the thing's I've seen." He shook his head and without warning, pulled out of your body fully and twisted away from you to sit on the edge of the bed. "I can't forgive myself for the past, even if other's can find it in their heart's to forgive me." He removed the condom and discarded it in the trash bin against the wall by the bed.

"Sam and Bobby went through a lot when I died." He went on and you saw him run his hands down his face in contemplative frustration. "They got hurt because of me. Sammy died because I couldn't save him in the first place and I made that deal to get him back. But that just hurt him even more." You heard Dean choke on a sob as he spoke. "I can't even save the people I love without hurting them more."

You watched the ragged rise and fall of his shoulder's for a moment before sitting up, a soft gasp escaping you as the movement irritated your over sensitive sex. He didn't move, but you ignored the slight discomfort to crawl across the bed and sit behind him. You hesitated only a moment before gently wrapping your arm's around his shoulder's. and molding your chest to his freckled and muscular back. Your head rested against the back of his neck as you stroked your hands up and down his chest slowly.

"You carry so much on your shoulders Dean that I am surprised your back hasn't already broken under the weight." You murmured softly and turned your face to place a gentle kiss on the knob of his spine. He shivered slightly but leaned back into your touch, even as he spoke his next words. "Y/N, I can't.." "But that doesn't mean that I also don't admire you for it." You interrupted and his body tensed. "What?" His head turned slightly and his voice sounded utterly baffled. 

You sighed. "Dean, I understand your position in this world because I have been where you are now. I'm still partially there." You confessed and Dean slowly pulled out of your hold to re-adjust himself on the bed to look at you face to face. He said nothing, but the confusion in his eye's prompted you to continue. "I may not have been forced to endure the Pit, but that doesn't necessarily mean my life wasn't a living Hell." You began, and his eye's widened.

"I was the second oldest of my families children. I was an identical twin." You chose your words carefully as you began the story. "One day, my father took my twin bother and I out to the river at the edge of our estate for training to practice aquatic combat." You smiled a little at the memory. "My brother was always so impatient with the practice. He would fight with my father often over the teaching methods passed down in our family." You folded your hands in your lap and wrung them every now and then.

"Passed down?" Dean echoed as he reached out to take one of your worrying hands to hold gently in his. "It was a really old family." You said. A tired smile molding your lips. "My family came from a long line of Hunters. Documents that we had in the library traced our bloodlines back to when Hunters first came into existence. For as long as there have been monsters in the world, my family has been there to hunt them."

Dean's gaze left your eye's to settle on the curve of your lips. Indicating that he really wanted to kiss you again but still focused enough to speak up again instead od acting on the impulse. "Wow. That really _is_ an old family." The fact that his eye's still hadn't left your mouth and the tone he used made you softly chuckle.

Yes, it is. But those teachings are what made my brother and I better than the rest. That and major natural talent. We were forbidden to partner up with anyone else because no one could match the skill we had, or were able to synch their fighting styles with ours the way my brother and I could." You slid a hand up Dean's face and backwards to card through his soft hair. 

"Wow, so you and your brother were like, what, linked or something?" Dean asked he his gaze came back up to meet yours again. You pondered the thought for a moment before nodding. "Yeah I guess so. My brother and I had always been able to tell automatically what the other was thinking or feeling. It didn't seem to matter how far away we were from one another at the time either..... And I believe that is why I still blame myself for his death." Your voice hitched slightly as you remembered what else had happened that day at the lake.

"Wait, what?" Dean sucked in a deep breath and shifted closer to you from where he sat in front of you. His hands went to grip your waist and pulled you closer to his body by bringing you back into his naked lap. You sighed and closed your eye's as you leaned against his broad chest. Unable to stand Dean's intense stare at the moment but instead enjoying the warmth of his skin as you continued. 

"When we were swimming in that lake, something found us. Something got through the warding that had been knitted together and piled upon throughout countless generations. What is was, I still don't know. But what I _do_ know, is that it attacked me and my brother saw it before I did and yanked me out of the way when it was trying to grab me." You felt a cold shiver run through your body violently before you had a chance to stop it and Dean's arm's immediately tightened around you and pressed you flush to his solid body. Grounding you enough in the present to be able to speak frankly about the past.

"One minute my brother was there, right in front of me, laughing and joking as he splashed water in my face, and the next he was being dragged under the water." Your voice came out as barely a whisper and you hated the fact that you could still be so affected by the past. But then again. It had been your twin you had lost. That kind of loss could really fuck someone up.

"I dove after him immediately. I did my best to keep up as I swam after him. But whatever was holding him was faster. I remember watching the air pushing out of my brothers mouth and nose as he got dragged down deeper into the lake. I remember seeing blood swirling around in the water as that thing crushed him in its grip. But most importantly, I remember what my brother had been feeling as he watched me swim after him." You whispered and bit your lip to stop the sob that threatened to escape. "I remember it as if I had been the one feeling it all. Like I was the one being dragged into the water." Dean tensed against you but you kept your eye's shut, not wanting to see what might be in his eye's, whether it was pity or sadness.

"Shock at being grabbed and pulled into the water. Panic when he realized he couldn't breath. Pain as that thing coiled around him and crushed his bones, and sadness as he watched me reach for his trailing hand he knew I wouldn't be able to catch." You shuddered again and now you just felt this yawning cold in your heart you hadn't felt in a long time.

"What about your father?" Dean asked and the cold instantly replaced itself with a type of dark fire. Two parts malice, and one part longing. You remembered that your father had stood on the shore and did absolutely nothing to help you. Absolutely nothing to save your brother. But that was just another thing you couldn't tell Dean. Not yet. But you could tell him some of it. If you wanted to claim to be there for him and be his shoulder to cry on, then you had to trust him with the hardest parts of your life too. It was only fair.

"He disowned me." You admitted shamefully. "I came back up without my brother and he blamed me for not being strong enough to save him." Your mouth curled in and out, working through the phantom sentences you had wanted to say to defend yourself, but never had the chance to voice.

"When we got home, my mother was in tears. My sibling's were terrified. Father had my cousins go out to the lake and bury it in warding's. And when they came back, he gathered the family together and marked me right in front of them." You absentmindedly rolled your shoulders as the old memory of the pain inflicted by the mark seeped into reality for a moment before dying down again. "He kicked me out and I left that day. I was too ashamed to even say goodbye to my mother or the rest of the family."

"What?!" Dean exclaimed, totally forgetting that it was late and everyone else in the house was supposed to be sleeping. You could hear Brutus stirring from inside the bathroom where he still laid since Dean had put him in there. But Dean didn't care that his outburst had been a bit too loud. He ignored the dog. "Y/N none of that was your fault!" He all but snarled the words as he tried to turn you in his arm's and get you to open your eye's. "There was no way in Hell you could have tried harder! He should have been grateful that you hadn't been taken too!" He hissed angrily and you shook your head, finally opening your eye's. 

"See what I mean when I say I get you?" You looked deeply into his narrowed eye's as you went on. "You feel like it was your fault that your brother died but it's also because of you that he's up and walking around now. I would give anything to have my brother back Dean." You whispered sadly. "Even if it meant I'd take his place and he'd be hurt by my choice. It wasn't his choice to be taken. I was there, within arm's reach and never saw what he saw before it was too late. Saving me was what got him killed." Finally, you felt the old tears of grief fall from your eye's.

"It's my fault that my mother didn't at least have a body to burn or bury." Your voice came out strung out and defeated. This was a truth you had learned to accept and live with long ago. You weren't weak nor were you a child. Wallowing in the past was not where a warrior belonged. You just shook your head again and muttered that you thought it was best not to talk about that anymore. Ironically, you had been the one that wanted to share this pain in order to distract Dean from his own. You didn't regret distracting him from his sadness, but you did wish there could have been another way to accomplish the same results.

After a beat, Dean spoke, his voice soft and comforting. "Can I ask how old you two were?" He asked, very hesitantly and his grip on your arm's tightened ever so slightly as if he was afraid you would just get up and bolt. It was a good distraction to wave away the encroaching awkward silence that hung between you two. You sighed again, although very grateful for the change in subject. "Twelve." You admitted softly. " We would have turned Thirteen the very next day." It's funny how the half truth just seemed to roll off the tip of your tongue. You hated lying. At least, you hated lying to Dean. Especially Dean. But that wasn't a part of yourself that you could just come out and surprise him with. No, you would take that conversation slowly and at a completely different time. 

"What was your brother's name?" He asked and his hand moved from your arm up to cup your cheek. This question was easier to answer. "Elias." You smiled at the sound of the name coming from your voice again. "His name was Elias." The constricting in your throat became painful and you tried to look away from Dean when he suddenly tilted your head up and captured your lips again.

This time, the kiss was hungrier. More desperate than the last one's you had shared. Your hands untangled from each other and instead you both buried them in each other's hair, tugging slightly and then using them to press each other's mouth's more firmly together. Pulling one another closer as your bodies molded together like two puzzle pieces. Dean was the first to pull back from the tangle of your tongues to look deeply into your eye's.

"I'll tell you what." He began as his tongue came out to wet his lips which instantly made you chase after it. He pushed you away gently with a soft laugh and an easy smile as he continued. "Meet me in the middle." He encouraged and you looked at him in confusion before he went on. "I'll work on forgiving myself. If, and only if, **you** try to forgive **yourself**." He smiled at his offer and kissed the tip of your nose as he waited for an answer. 

The compromise he proposed was good for the both of you if it worked. Which of course you knew it really wouldn't on your end because you had accepted the blame so long ago. But that didn't mean that Dean had to carry the rest of his burden's any longer. You had been around the block a couple of times. You had perfected deception. You decided to pretend to forgive all the faults you would find in your own character in order to see Dean forgive himself in reality. It was too late for you. But it didn't have to be for Dean. 

After a while of debating the best way to start off the little white lie, you nodded at Dean with one your Devil-may-care smiles, and brushed a sweet kiss on his lips again as you settled into the warm curl of his strong arm's once more. "You're on Winchester." Was the only thing that escaped your mouth before Dean moved you both back to lay down flat on the bed and spread out against each other again. Kissing, caressing and murmuring to each other well into the daylight hours.


	8. Ghost's of the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WooW! 2 chapters in the span of a day! You guy's deserved this. I'm so happy for the comments and the kudos. Thank's for sticking with me! Happy Reading!

Another week passed as you and Dean began to work on the agreement of forgiving yourselves. At first it had been annoying, trying to keep up the pretense of actually understanding the situation from someone else's point of view. But later, as you began to play the same roll of therapist for Dean as he was doing for you, the mistakes of the past began to unravel just a bit, and what you had once thought was absolute and unchangeable, soon began to develop holes that couldn't be filled by taking all the blame for what happened.

Dean began to improve as well. In the beginning, you could tell he hated being prodded and much of what he was willing to tell you was just a well rehearsed wave off from what was really bugging him. But, slowly but surely, he began to open up about some of the more painful things he had endured in the Pit. The rack being at the top of the list. Not being on it but choosing the ones he would torture off of it. That night had been spent with Dean's face pressed closely to either your stomach when he laid his head in your lap, or in the crook of your shoulder when he would hold you so tight that you couldn't breath but didn't dare to move from his hold.

You had whispered soft and soothing words to him the entire night and ran your hands down his back and carded fingers through his hair. You held him equally as close to you as he would press to be closer. You would even hum the tune of the lullaby your mother once sang to you when you had been a child, though you had long forgotten the words. It still managed to calm Dean enough to where he would drift off to sleep while lying on top of you and you would wake the next morning with your arm's circling his head and shoulder's as if even in sleep you were protecting him from the dark shadows in his mind.

He would wake up, see the position, and smile. A genuine smile that reached his eye's and caused the smooth skin at the side of his eye's to crinkle with happiness before he would crawl up your body and kiss you deeply. You began to push at each other for more. More of each other's time. More of each other's closeness. More honesty and more forgiveness. You had to admit, it was hard not giving Dean whatever he wanted. Especially with the last two. You had woken up every day with Dean lying next to you and the conversations of the previous night still danced in both of your flushed and happy gazes. 

It was hard to deny him the whole truth to some of the questions he would ask and only supply him with well rehearsed half or broken truth's. Your past was not something you had ever considered under the scrutiny of microscopic attention to detail. But when Dean asked you certain things in the wee hours of the night, 'What was your best friends name?' 'Cameron.', 'Why did you name your car Bastian?' 'Because my favorite pet's name growing up was Sabastian and my car is reliable and awesome just like my pet had been.', 'Other than Hunter stuff, what was your favorite pass time as a kid?' 'Mountain climbing.', or 'How many siblings did you have all together?' 'Five if I count my twin with them.', it was extremely hard not to tell him everything.

Opening up started making both of you trust each other. And every time you got him to smile was like something was pulling on your heart strings. It wasn't love. It was way too early for that. But you did understand that you were starting to care about this gorgeous man. Everything had been going great,... that is, until Damon became the topic of one midnight conversation of truth.

You had once again found yourselves in the tangle of limbs one night and as you pulled away to catch's your breath's, Dean saw an opportunity to ask you what had been on his mind since you had left Idaho.

"So," He began as he brushed his lips over yours again quickly before pulling back. "Can I ask you something else and you promise not to get mad?" He asked sheepishly. "I'm honestly just curious, baby." He defends quickly. Your smile fell slightly and you had a vague idea about what he was about to ask, but you didn't try to deflect it because you knew how Dean was. If you changed the subject right at that moment, his suspicion would only grow.

Dean took a moment to choose his words carefully, his hand coming up to grab a curly strand of your hair and play with it between his fingers as he spoke, "Can I ask you who Damon is?" He said, putting as much innocent curiosity into his tone as possible. "I uh, heard you say his name after you fell down the hill back in Idaho." He admitted and after a moment you nodded stiffly. "I remember." And his gaze sharpened a bit at hearing you remember calling for this Damon guy. You couldn't hide that from Dean. There was no point in trying.

The air around you began to get heavy and uncomfortable as you tried to pull away. Dean just tightened his hold a bit as he closed the distance again. "Hey, Y/N c'mon." He pleaded softly. "I told you, I'm just curious baby." He stated as he tried to catch your eye. You refused to let him, but still managed to answer. 

"Dean, I can't." You muttered, your voice growing cold. "I can't talk about that." You shook your head and tried to pull out of his arm's again, suddenly just feeling dirty and cold. "Baby, please just help me understand at least." Dean said as he tried to hold you in place against him through all of your squirming. "We talked about your family, your regrets, your father and brother." His voice turned into a slight snarl as he mentioned your dad. After what you had told him, Dean had expressed vividly that if he ever met your father he'd kill him. It had been sweet to hear but you knew it'd be completely the opposite if the two ever met. Luckily for you there wasn't much of a real chance that _that_ would happen.

"Why is it so much harder for you to talk about this guy than it was to talk about everything else?" Dean pressed on and the slight twinge of panic and unease tightened into a knot in your gut. "Because I can't Dean!" You exclaimed suddenly, making Brutus sit up quickly with an apprehensive growl from where he was lying on the floor with one of your pillow's. You took a breath and lowered your voice. "I won't talk about him with you, so just leave it alone, alright!" Your tone came out harsher than you had intended and you instantly regretted it when Dean pulled completely away from you. His hand's dropping from your body in shock.

"I'm sorry." You apologized quietly. "I'm sorry but I can't." This time when you try to pull away from him, he didn't try to stop you. You crawled out of bed and grabbed a pair of jeans and your jacket before leaving the room. You got dressed in the bathroom down the hall and just left your pajamas folded up in the bathroom before exiting and heading downstairs. Brutus had followed you out of the room and now as you moved through the quiet house at 3:15 in the morning.

You felt constricted and in desperate need of fresh air and the thought of a drive through sleepy town Sioux Falls would do the trick. You were able to get your shoes on and reach for your key's before someone's hand came up to cover yours. "Y/N, stop." Dean's hushed voice came out gruff as he turned you around and crowded into your space again. "Hey, look at me." He pleaded as he ducked down to try and catch your gaze. This time, you allowed it. 

As you stared at his face again you found it extremely hard to focus on being upset. It was difficult to just close yourself off from Dean the way you once could have done with anyone. After the hours you had both spent in the dead of night whispering confessions and experiences to one another it was just too hard not to have that connection with him.

"I'm sorry, alright." He relented and his arm moved to wined around your waist to anchor you to him. "Don't take off. It's the middle of the night. Please come back to bed with me. I really am sorry." He hesitated as his gaze searched yours for any hint that you might still bolt. You sighed after a moment of that and opened your fingers to let go of the keys that were still clutched in your hand. Dean sighed in relief and put them back on the key ring for you before locking your gazes again.

"I'm sorry too Dean." You started but you avoided his eye's. Still feeling that need for a rush or some type of adrenaline release. "I really am, but I can't think of him if I want to stay here with you." Your voice was quiet. Almost like a mouse. "And I really want to be here with you, Dean." You knew that this segment of truth would hurt not only you but him as well. But you needed to get across to Dean that Damon was a taboo subject. Damon and Dean did not belong in your mind at the same time. You could think of one or the other at any given moment. But never at once. It was just too painful otherwise.

What you had started to feel for Dean felt so uniquely identical to what you had once had with Damon. Maybe even more. You wanted it to be true. To feel a pull to Dean stronger than the bond you and Damon had created...... You admitted to the shadow in your mind that you were hoping desperately for that to be true. So that you could move on, and leave the phantom's of your past behind.

Dean obviously felt a bit uneasy with the knowledge that talking about a man you had left behind made it impossible to see yourself only with him. That just bringing up his name had made you leave the warmth of your shared bed to attempt at leaving him all together in the dead of night at Bobby's house. When he finally found his voice, it was cool and calculated. Obviously upset. "You loved him." He said it as a statement, but the tone held plain notes that said he wanted either a confirmation or a denial. You decided not to justify Damon's significance in your life by affirming either.

Instead, you sighed again and moved to wrap your arm's around his neck and pull him down to bury your face in his neck, breathing in the heady musk of Bourbon and Old Spice. "I walked away from Damon for a reason Dean." You spoke calmly, your lip's brushing his throat gently as you continued, making him shiver slightly and draw in a lungful of air. "We didn't work. Too much would have been asked of the both of us if I had stayed there, so I left. I was on my own, and then I found you." You pulled back to look up at him. Your long Y/H/C tresses falling in small strands into your face. 

"I want to be here." Your hands moved from his back to cup either side of his handsome face. "I want to be with you. But I need you to trust me when I ask you, to please, **please** , let this go." You watched as Dean frowned down at you, his soft, kiss flushed lips parting slightly in an attempt to argue before you reared up on your tip toes and captured his mouth again for a second before speaking again. 

"Please Dean. Damon is a ghost. He's not who I wake up to every morning and I definitely told you more about my past than I ever told Damon." And that was true. You had never shared the story of your brother with Damon. Or any of the other small details like who your best friend had been or how many siblings you had. But then again... Damon had always skirted around the subject when you had both ventured too close to it. He would see how talking about it hurt you so he would always change the subject or think of something that would get you to smile or laugh. Passionate sex and even childish tickle fight's had been his method of choice on more than one occasion. To put it simply, Damon and Dean were just two completely different people. Especially when it came to the spots they filled in your heart.

You stared at each other for a while longer before Dean leaned down and kissed you again. This time with an air of possessiveness that made your skin tingle as his hands reached down to cup the backs of your thighs and pull you up to force you to hook your legs around his waist. 

You yelped in surprise but that quickly subsided as Dean smiled into your kiss. "Alright." He said, his tone very enthusiastic as he pressed his forehead against yours to stare into your bright eye's. His grin a bit wolfish as his own mischievous eye's dazzled you. "I'll drop it solely on the fact that your right. He's _not_ the one you wake up to every morning. And he's definitely not the one who can touch you like this." His smile broadened even more as he suddenly turned with you still in his arm's, and quickly but quietly managed to race back up the stairs with you hanging on tightly around his neck and waist. You desperately tried to muffle the happy squeal that threatened to escape from your mouth. 

Brutus followed but at a much slower pace. When Dean burst back into the room he turned quickly and shut the door before Brutus could make his way inside. A low whine was all that came from him before you heard him circle around and lay down at the door.

Dean and you both snickered before he locked it and moved away from the door and over to the bed. He leaned over slowly to avoid dropping you onto the bed too quickly and jostling you. A giggle escaped you as you both settled on the bed with Dean hovering over you. His gaze mapping the segment of skin from your belly where your night shirt had ridden up. 

Dean licked his lips again but stopped his advance to look at you again. "I trust you Y/N." He affirmed sternly. "I trust you with my life. So if you ask me to trust you on this," He paused, unwilling to spoil the moment by speaking another man's name. "Then I will." He promised and the relief that hit you was so strong that you pulled him closer and pressed your lips to his for a long, passionate kiss. "Thank you." You murmured, and pecked his lips again. "Thank you."

He smiled as he dropped more chaste kisses on your forehead, the bridge of your nose, your right cheek and then all along your jawline. His stubble making you shiver and giggle all at once. "If that's all I have to do to get you this loosened up, I wonder if it's possible to make you even happier." Dean mused and his lips kissed the pulse point of your neck. Your eye's fluttered shut as you move your head to the side to grant him better access to your throat. "Why don't you try and we'll find out?" You said in a playful challenge and you heard Dean softly chuckle as he nipped the space between your shoulder and neck, causing you to jolt in pleasure.

"Alright." Dean whispered and his hand came up to move under your shirt and caress the skin there until goosebumps rose all across the teased flesh. "Let's see how happy I can make you tonight." And that was all the warning you got before he crushed his mouth down onto yours. His hands reaching in to tear at your jeans to get them off of you and you cursed that you had even thought to put them on. He finally undid the button and yanked the zipper down before pausing in his actions of devouring your mouth to quickly roll the denim down your legs. 

He promptly threw those to the side to hit the wall on your right before he grabbed the hem of your undershirt and began to push it up, dragging his calloused fingers over the sensitive skin of your belly as he did. You gasped in pleasure at the feeling as he pulled on you to lift up so that he could take the shirt completely off of you. Thank God you had decided to wear matching underwear as you laid there in full view of Dean's hungry, lust blown eye's. Evidently he appreciated the sight of black see-through lace. 

"Sexy." He commented in a husky voice before he looked back up to meet your eye's. "Too bad they gotta come off." And he reached for your panties, surprising you by yanking them down your legs and tossing them on the floor in one quick movement. Before he could do the same to your bra, you stopped him with a glare before unhooking it and throwing it down to the floor. When he raised an eyebrow at you, you smirked. "I agree they needed to come off, but I'd like to wear them again sometime." That just got an adorable smile and easy chuckle out of a still fully clothed Dean Winchester.

"Hey, you don't get to just look for nothing big boy." You snickered as his eye's narrowed to slits as he watched you cover your sex and your breasts from his view. "For every piece of cloth you take off, I'll uncover a little more." You grinned cunningly at your compromise. It didn't take Dean long to accept the game and start tearing off every bit of clothing he had on. He ripped off his soft grey night shirt and you moved the hand that was covering your breasts to curl backwards behind your head. 

He then reached for his pant's and began to push them down his legs torturously slow. You smirked. You could play this game too. You moved your pinky and index finger away from your pussy and moved your hand up only a few centimeters. Your middle fingers never uncovering any of your entrance. Dean's smile wavered and you giggled as he just yanked the rest of the material down with gusto, tossing the clothing away before falling to his elbows in front of your now fully exposed pussy. You watched as he licked his lips and blew a stream of cool air over your spread labia. "Oh, Dean.." Your eye's closed and you let your head hang backwards.

"Take a deep breath baby." Dean ordered and then, he was eating you out like he was starving. You sucked in a deep breath that burned your lung's as he attacked you, repeatedly swiping his tongue in rapid circles around your swelling clit and sucking at your entrance like his very life depended on it. Your hands came up from gripping the bedspread to clench around the wooden poles of the headboard. Moans ripped from your throat as the pleasure built up to pool the heat in your stomach. "Oh God, Dean... please." You pleaded while bucking your hips up to the motion of Dean's thick and muscular tongue. 

He laughed softly against your clit making vibrations travel through the throbbing bud. He planted a kiss over the bundle of nerves which he then sucked into his mouth, tugging and lapping at it before you felt one of those delightfully calloused fingers breach your entrance and start to move slowly inside you. Soon after he inserted another finger, and then a third. Not long after you became a writhing mess under Dean's heated attention. 

Just as you thought you were about to come, Dean pulled his mouth away from your clit and slowly withdrew his slightly rough fingers from your fluttering pussy. A whine of protest escaped you and you heard Dean chuckle. You had no idea when your eye's closed but when Dean started moving back up your body you opened them to see what he was doing. Panting heavily as you stared at the beautiful man that was now draping over your heaving body.

Dean made a dirty smacking sound as he grinned down at you. "Tastes so good baby." He huffed out before kissing you deeply. You moaned as his tongue licked into your mouth and suddenly you couldn't take it anymore. You shoved Dean off of you so that he landed on his back beside you. You ignored his surprised stare as you crawled on top of him and straddled his bare hips right in front of his erect and glowing cock. You glared down at the smug and animalistic look on Dean's face as you reached behind you and encircled his hard shaft firmly, gaining a shocked gasp as you pumped him a few times before stopping the movement, which caused his gaze to turn frustrated and pleading. 

"I don't like being teased that long Dean." You chastised him huskily and all he could do was bite his lower lip to stop the moan that was rising past his lips and nod his head once firmly. You smiled down at him. "Take a deep breath baby." You mimicked him and raised your hips to scoot back. When you were directly over his erect cock you sank down on his thick appendage and staled movement until you adjusted to the feeling of being so full. Deans hands flew up to grip the pillow beneath his head. Crushing it in a white knuckled grip as he threw his head back and moaned deep in his throat.

You almost laughed at how obscene the sound had been but only caressed his clenched abs and tight pectorals as you began to set a slow but hard pace as you rode him. "Not so loud baby." You crooned as you swirled your hips in little figure eights and you bucked up and down on Dean's amazing cock. "You'll wake the whole house up." You giggled when he turned his head to groan loudly into the pillow. "Fuck Y/N." He moaned and thrashed his head back and forth. "Harder baby! Faster!" He panted and his hands came up to reach for your hips in an attempt to make you move the way he wanted but you slapped his hands away. "Nah-uh Dean. We're going at my pace tonight." You smiled and lifted up, almost pulling off completely before slamming back down on his pulsing cock. Dean's eye's widened as he gasped. His gaze flying to stare at you with lust crazed eye's. 

You continued to ride him slow and hard and until it was apparent that Dean couldn't take it anymore. "FUCK!" Dean groaned and suddenly you were being yanked off of his lap and flipped over to lay on your stomach on the empty half of the bed. The movement was so quick you barely had enough time to gasp before Dean pulled you up to your hands and knee's and pushed back into your drenched pussy, setting an even faster and deeper pace than what you had given. One hand fisted in the bedspread as the other came up to slap over your mouth before a loud moan erupted from your throat. "Fuck, we really need to find another place to do this." Dean growled as he plowed into you from behind. "I really need to hear you when you moan. So hot Y/N." 

He reached across your back to gently fist your hair at the nape of your neck. Your eye's widened at the feel of his fingers holding on tightly to your hair and obliged him when he used his hold to gently but firmly pull you up against his body so that your back was now flush against his chest. His free hand came up to grip one breast and squeeze, making you whimper in his hold before he moved his fingers to catch your hard nipple between them and twist them gently as he continued to thrust deep into you. Your hand's came up to press over the top of both of his stimulating one's.

You threw your head back against his shoulder, your lips parted in an 'O' and you felt Dean open his mouth on your neck. Sucking marks into the skin and nipping the junction between your neck and shoulder. "Ahh, ah... oh God.. Dean ye.. yes! Oh, baby yes!" You moaned out loudly and his hand flew up from your nipple to cover your mouth again, forcing you to pant quickly through your flared nostrils. "I hate covering your mouth." Dean groaned and his hips pistoned even faster and harder as he continued, rocking the bed enough that it hit the wall before he was forced to slow down. "I hate having to be quiet. I want to hear you scream my name. I want to hear you cry for me when you come." 

He buried his face in your hair and his hand that was tangled in the strands fell and reached around your body to rub circles around your already oversensitive clit. "Come for me now, Y/N." He demanded and pressed against the swollen bundle of nerves one more time before you came. Your cry of Dean's name muffled greatly by the large hand he still had placed over your mouth. 

Your hand shot up to reach behind you and grab a fistful of Dean's own hair and tug on it slightly as your vaginal walls fluttered all around his still hard dick. His thrust's stuttered and then he followed you over the edge into bliss as he pressed his mouth hard against your neck to muffle his own cry of pleasure. Your bodies suddenly crumpled and you both fell to your sides on the bed, making the box springs squeak loudly but not being conscious enough to give a damn about the noise. Exhaustion followed the feeling of being sated and the last thing you remembered was the feeling of Dean's arm's curling tighter around your body to pull you closer to him. You let sleep take you under, with a blissful smile on your face.

*****

*Dean.

It was around noon the next day when Dean woke up. He had to admit, the sight that greeted him made him want to kick himself for not waking up sooner. A smile instantly spread across your face when he saw you laid out beside him. Some time in the night you two had disconnected and your left leg was now hooked over his while your arm draped over his chest. Your hand settled over his heart.

He smiled wider, showing teeth at the spread of warmth he felt there as he watched your sleeping face. It looked so peaceful and young. None of the harsh lines of ever present alertness that every Hunter had during wakefulness. You were beautiful. To Dean, you were absolutely gorgeous.

After Lisa and Ben, Dean never thought that he'd be able to connect with anyone the way he had with them. He'd been terrified of the thought. Truth be told he had never really wanted to let anyone get that close again. Other than Sam, he just didn't trust that his heart was strong enough to handle anymore heartbreak. He wasn't sure he had the strength to handle anyone else leaving him. But he saw something in you. Something that made him want to try. Something he wanted in his life again and somehow, he had a feeling that your wouldn't end up like Lisa did. Maybe because you had grown up in the same life he had. That you understood the sacrifices he made. Maybe because you were a Hunter. And a damn fine one at that.

Sure, Dean had been severely pissed at you for going off on your own, getting hurt when you fell down that hole and then again when you took a swan dive down the mountain side when the second Wendigo attacked, but you were still so amazing. You had told Dean that you had been hunting since you were old enough to hold a knife and _that_ hunt had proved it. You had saved Dean's life by taking the shot that made the Wendigo burn up into ash. But that also proved how reckless you could be with your own life if it meant saving other's.

He knew he was going to have his work cut out for him if he was going to get you to open up with him anymore. The whole Damon conversation last night had gotten you way too riled up for him to be comfortable with. Just knowing who this guy was to you and how you had not even wanted to talk about him enough to tell Dean how long the two of you had been together made him weary. Especially since most of your nightmares where you would talk in your sleep had you either whimpering or shrieking his name.

Dean had asked Bobby if the name had meant anything to him but Bobby had said that he had no clue. Dean had Sam run all your known aliases and it had showed damn near close to one hundred missing persons and animal attack cases worked all together within the past year and a half. 

Bobby did tell the boy's that Y/N Frost was not the name you had been born with. That the last name was something you took when you were little and after the first talk you had he realized that it was the new name you took when your dad had disowned you. You had never told him anything about your family the way you had with Dean. He also said that all the years you had gone underground after Clay's death was like you had just vanished. You had hidden yourself well below Hunter Radar. Yet the gunshot wound Dean found on your upper right shoulder indicated that someone must have found you.

It scared Dean a little. Not _of_ you but _for_ you. If these Hunter groups that were tracking you to try and get revenge for that kid Clay's death were still out there, Dean **had** to protect you. His arm's tightened unconsciously around your sleeping body as he thought about it.

 _'I'm not going to let anyone or anything hurt you, Y/N.'_ Dean thought with determination boiling in his blood. _'Never.'_ He moved his hand up and down your back. The intricate tattoo of Angel wing's had been a very appreciated sight last night when he had taken you from behind. The vivid memory making blood fill his cock again and giving him slight morning wood. Or evening wood. Whichever was preferred, all he knew was that he wanted to touch you again. The tattoo though had his full attention as he traced the black outlined, indigo and amethyst colored feathers with his finger tips. 

He knew that you weren't much into the whole 'Devout Servant of God' thing but it was still a very beautiful tattoo. Dean liked it a lot and as he traced pattern's into the feathers he thought that he was going to have to get you to go with him to a parlor soon to get the anti-possession tattoo as well.

You unconsciously moved back into his touch in your sleep, which caused Dean to lightly chuckle as he trailed his fingertip's down your spine slowly only to stop when he felt a jagged scar where his finger's met your skin. "What the hell?" He murmured. He didn't remember feeling or seeing any type of scar last night and he had gotten a pretty good look at your back. He pulled you closer and angled his head to see clearer over your shoulder.

A weird looking sigil looked like it was burned into the middle of your back. The edges touched both part's of the Angel wing's tattoo where the feathers showed to meet skin. "What the fuck is this?" Dean hissed out in fury as he pushed your hair more out of the way so that he could see the mark better. Dean suddenly felt sick. Imagining the type of pain something this big had been while being branded into the smooth skin of your back.

 _'He disowned me. He gathered the family and marked me.'_ Your voice echoed in his head and Dean silently sent up a prayer to Cas to help him find your father, so that he could rip the guys spine out from his mouth. His only response from the nerdy Angel was the cool breeze that found its way into the room suddenly which caused your dozing form to shiver. You had both fallen asleep without the blankets over you. 

The thought that Cas had heard him settle Dean but only a little. The anger still burned there because someone had hurt you and he couldn't gank the sonovabitch right then and there. What kind of monster did something like this to their own flesh and blood?!

Just then, Dean felt your body tense against him and by now he knew it meant your nightmare's were coming up again. He collected his thought's and mashed the rage down enough to focus on taking care of you. "It's alright baby." He crooned. "It's ok Y/N, I'm right here." His hand pressed against the mark on your back but when he looked down again it was gone. 

"What the fuck?" Dean exclaimed. But just as he was about think that he was losing his mind, you started to talk in your sleep again. "Damon. No, Damon." You cried and writhed in Dean's arm's. It felt like a slap to the face that after last night you would be dreaming of your ex. But Dean tried not to let it get to him. Taking comfort in the fact that you were still having nightmares when you called his name in your sleep.

Dean began to wonder if this Damon guy had been a civilian. That when you went off the grid it was to live some apple pie life with him. Then it begged the question if something from the old life came-a-knockin' and you left to keep the guy safe. _'I walked away from Damon for a reason Dean. Too much would have been asked of both of us if I had stayed there, so I left.'_ Dean started thinking there was a hell of a lot more to your story than you were sharing.

"Damon. No!" You thrashed again and your fist nearly collided with Dean's mouth. He ducked back in time and tried to shake you awake. His hand's on your shoulder's to hold you down. With your eye's squeezed shut you flung out your arm's and somehow managed to throw Dean out of the bed to land on his bare ass on the floor. Your nightmare's were starting to get as intense as Anna's trance had been all those years ago. 

Dean got back up and replaced his hands on your shoulder's again as he proceeded to shake you. "Y/N! Y/N wake up!" Outside in the hall, Dean could hear Brutus scratching at the door and growling. Then the pounding of footsteps as Bobby and Sam hurried up the stairs and made their way to your door. 

"Dean? What's going on?" Sam yelled from the other side of the door. "What's happening?" Bobby growled out and the door knob jiggled. "Open this door boy! Let us in!" He thundered and believe Dean, he wanted to but he wasn't about to leave you. "Don't come in!" Was all he yelled back. 

Beneath him, you were starting to calm down again. Your breathing came in harsh pant's and as Dean finally began to think you were alright and you'd wake up fine, you spoke again. "Mystic Falls." You breathed out and Dean froze. "Home. Mystic Falls. Damon. No" 

That was the last straw. Dean knew that he had promised to forgive himself if and only if you forgave yourself for your brother, but apparently there was a lot more you needed to forgive and forget. And this Damon guy was part of it.

Now that you had settled down Dean could hear the lock picks in the door and managed to cover both himself and you with the blanket before Sam, Bobby and Brutus barreled into the room, causing you to jerk awake in Dean's hold.

"What the hell?!" You yelled out and instantly pulled the cover's over your head. Bobby gave Dean a 'We're going to talk about this later' look before his eye's hardened to a 'and then I'm gonna kick you ass, you idjit' glare. But Dean wasn't too worried about that at the moment as Sam walked back out with pink cheek's while Bobby followed him out and Brutus climbed onto the bed to curl up next to you in his usual spot.

Dean's only thought was that these nightmare's weren't going to go away on their own. And only one thing made guilt and fear wash away for good. You had to face it. 

As Dean looked down at your still covered form, a plan began to formulate. Though he imagined you weren't going to like the pitch. "What was all that about?" Your voice came out muffled as Dean reached under the covers to wrap his arm's around your warm body and pull you closer. "Nothin' sweetheart." He deflected, and it made it easier that you couldn't see the look of worry on his face. "Just another nightmare." And he leaned closer to kiss the top of your head through the blanket. 

Your dreams about Damon and the violence he had just witnessed had put Dean in a sour mood, but it was easier to take now since he understood why. You had probably had a taste of a normal life before something forced you out of it. And maybe you felt guilty leaving because there was always a chance that this guy had loved you every bit as much as you obviously loved him. So, he had a name. And now he had a place to start looking.

'Mystic Falls.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember those little hint's of mystery I mentioned? lol. I gave out a few clues in this chapter for everyone to play with. Let's see if you can guess the secret your hiding before I finish this fic. Part 9 coming soon Yall. Stay tuned!


	9. Home. What Home?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this chapter. ..... It might just be a filler..... I don't know. Either way, I hope yall like it.

A full two week's went by and everything had been going good. You and the boy's had managed to wrap up a werewolf and vengeful spirit case within that time and had spent the past three day's at Bobby's. One morning, you woke up in Dean's arm's by Bobby calling your name. 

You quickly got dressed and met the old Bear downstairs. He asked if you would go into town for a supply run. You agreed happily. Having the chance to be back in Bastian and on the road alone just for a short time to clear your head was exactly what you wanted. Dean had been acting different for some time now. When you would wake up from your nightmares he would be there and you would sleep in his arm's but the next morning he would be gone. 

He had started staying up most night's looking at thing's on his computer and when you would come into the room or ask him what he was doing he would shut the computer and change the subject. You had no idea what you had done to hinder the trust you both had created before the talk about Damon. You had forgiven the prodding over Damon and he had forgiven you for the outburst. You had both said as much. But distance was nothing new to you. If he needed his space then you would give it to him. And if he needed you then you would be there.

You got in your car and drove to the Super Market to pick up food before heading to the auto store for more motor oil. During your time shopping your mind found itself time to wander. You let it drift to the morning when Bobby and Sam practically broke down the door to your shared room with Dean.

Dean had told you that it had only been a nightmare that had made both his brother and Bobby rush in to see what was wrong with you. But one look in his eye's had told you he wasn't saying everything. Dean was keeping secret's and though you knew you shouldn't be really offended that he would keep certain thing's from you, you couldn't help but feel a little upset. Perhap's that was how Dean felt when you flat out refused to talk about Damon. If that was his reasoning, then you definitely couldn't blame him. 

You remembered your dream from that morning as well. You were dreaming of your last home. Of Mystic Falls and Damon. Of all of your friends and the life you had built for yourself. It had been a good dream. But at the end, it had been over shadowed by the last time Damon and you were together. The Boarding house under attack, and Damon lying unconcious on the floor.

'No.' You told yourself firmly. 'That is not my home. Dean, Sam and Bobby are my home now. My family. My friend's.' You berated yourself for even thinking differently. Your life in Mystic Falls never would have lasted. You were a natural born Hunter, and natural born Hunters didn't settle well into normal life. Or at least, as normal as a life with a vampire boyfriend and vampire, werewolf, witch and Hybrid friend's allowed.

After you had gotten the necessary shopping done you stayed out for a bit longer. Driving around the small town for another thirty minutes before you decided to go back to Bobby's and work under Bastian's hood the rest of the day. When you got down the road leading to Singer Salvage...... The large plume of smoke rising up in the distance made you race with the speed of light towards the scrap yard. Terrified for what you would find.

When you got there, you instantly screached to a halt directly in front of the house and gazed distraughtly at it...... as it was burning to the ground. 

Your thought's instantly raced to Dean. To Sam, Bobby and Brutus. You left the key's in the ignition and started running all over the yard, screaming everyone's name's. Brutus found you first. You had dropped to your knee's for a moment, checking the dog and finding his hair around his face singed as well as burn's on his snout and front paw's. He ran away from you and you followed him to a clearing in the yard where five men had Bobby, Sam and Dean up against a pile of cars. Their gun's pointed directly at your friends' head's.

Something inside you just snapped. You drew your dagger's and lunged, calling for the men to turn around and face you. As they did you jammed both knives into the chest's of two of the attackers and kicked out the knee's from under a third. You reached across to the fourth on the left and pulled him closer to yank the gun out of his hand and pull his body in front of you and aimed the gun to his head as you glared the other man down.

The fifth one hesitated when you dragged his friend to stand in front of you like a meat sheild and thats when you pushed the guy you were holding into the fifth man and charged. Tackling them both to the ground and throwing a direct right hook into the jaw of the fifth man while you brought an elbow down on the back of the fourth man's head. As he went limp on top of the fifth man you raised your arm to throw another punch at the man on the bottom of the pile when you were suddenly grabbed from behind. An arm snaked under your own arm's to curl upwards and anchor the hand's behind your head.

You struggled vainly as your body was pulled up and presented in front of your captor to the gun's Dean, Sam and Bobby now had raised and aimed at the both of you. "LET HER GO!" Dean roared and the look of fear in his eye's and on his face was evident as the man who was holding you sneered. 

"You shouldn't have lied to us when we asked you if you'd seen this bitch, Bobby." The guy behind you called from behind your head and his left hand moved to quickly wrap around your throat. "You might still have your old, tinder box house if you had old man." The voice was terribly familiar and then you realized who it was. 

"Jonah?" You choked out and you saw Bobby gape as he heard you call the name of the same boy he had put you in a team with when the two of you were kids no more than eighteen. You tried to turn your head but the other hand still anchored there tangled in your hair and tugged harshly, making you cry out. "Stop! Just... stop, please!" Dean yelled in frustration and Jonah loosened his hold but only just. He took the opportunity to laugh harshly at the Hunter though.

"Damn Y/N I always knew you were an easy piece of ass. You got a Winchester to fall for your slutty flirting?" He snickered coldly in your ear. "How long did you wait this time before you got him to fuck you?" You began to struggle again, violently throwing your head backwards to try and smash it into his face without any luck. "Go to HELL you son of a bitch!" You yelled and kicked and thrashed in his hold as he began to drag you backwards. Lifting you up every so often so that you couldn't kick his leg's or drag your feet. 

By that time, the second guy you had tried to knock out while he had been on the ground got to his feet and started walking alongside Jonah as they made their way back to the truck's you had seen parked on the way into the yard. Jonah called to the men in front of you still as he quickly made his way backwards. One of the discarded gun's in his hand's. "Now nobody try to be a fucking hero, alright?" Jonah said, his deep voice sounding loud even with his face pressed against your neck. "This little bitch here doesn't deserve your help, so just toss your gun's away, stay right where you are and no one else has to get shot today." 

A moment of hesitation and Jonah let go of your throat with his hand to wrap his entire arm around it and squeeze your windpipe in his hold, causing you to thrash frantically and fight for air. Watching you suffocate made Dean turn and throw his gun completely over the pile of cars to land somewhere in the maze of junkers. After another second, Sam and Bobby did the same. You felt Jonah chuckle darkly from behind you and his arm loosened so that you could suck in a burning lungfull of air.

"Say goodbye to your friend's Y/N." He scoffed as he straightened up and moved out from behind you. Your eye's stayed on Dean as you were being dragged away from him. "You wouldn't give Jonah the satisfaction of hearing you say farewell to Dean. So you kept your lips sealed and allowed yourself to be stolen. But before Jonah managed to drag you out of the clearing, Brutus was there.

Brutus lunged at Jonah's companion and latched onto the man's arm holding the gun at you, shaking his head violently and digging his teeth deeper into the guy's flesh. He screamed, and the muscles in his hand reacted by squeezing the trigger once before dropping the gun. 

The bullet grazed your right arm and lodged itself into Jonah's right shoulder. The wound burned but you did your best to ignore it. Jonah's arm had realeased you once the bullet hit him. You instantly swung around, reaching for your Bowie and unclipping it. You tackled Jonah to the ground and brought the point of the large knife up to his throat. Rage smoldered in your eye's as you stared down at the young Hunter. 

Behind you, you heard the other man being taken down by the boy's so you focused solely on Jonah's pain twisted face. "You burned down Bobby's house!" You snarled in his face, full of contempt. "You basturd, he taught us everything we know! You're alive because of him you ungrateful dick. We were friend's Jonah, how could you do this?!" Your vision blured and you fought with all your might to keep the tears from falling. This boy had been your best friend at one point in your life.

Instead of looking despaired, he looked disgusted. "He was protecting you, Y/N." Jonah snapped. "Anyone who protect's a traitor deserve's to be treated like one." Your eye's widened. "I didn't kill Clay, dammit!" You yelled in his face. "I'm not a traitor. I'm not a monster!" Jonah laughed at that as he stared up at you. "You killed other Hunter's since you went off radar Y/N." He sneered. "Either way you look at it, you're definitely a monster now." Rage boiled over into wrath as you shifted over him and stood up, yanking him to his feet along with you and shoving the injured Hunter forward towards the still burning house. 

Once you were close enough to feel the blazing heat coming from the dry crackle of old wood and parchement tome's, you kicked the back of Jonah's knee's out from under him so that he was foced down in front of you. You grabbed at the shaggy tresses of auburn locks and yanked his head back to make him watch the old house burn. 

"Is this what you wanted?" You asked through clenched teeth. "Is this the kind of shit you signed up for when they roped you into this?!" You pulled his head farther back so that he had to look at you above him. Staring down at him with cold malice. "Did you hate me that much that you agreed to hurt anything and anyone that got in your way, Jonah? What do you gain from this? What do you want from me?!" You yelled into his face and he glared back at you as he bared his teeth in a disgusted sneer. 

"I get to watch you die." The answer had shocked you enough that you were speachless for a moment. but after that second had passed, You clamly sheathed your Bowie, looked at him in the eye's again, and quickly threw a punch into his face which caused him to howl in pain and fall forward. Closer to the fire. At that moment all the pent up anger and frustration you had been feeling was released and you let it all out on Jonah.

Punches didn't seem to satisfy you so you just started throwing kick's into his chest and stomach. Yelling obsinities every which way until a pair of strong and familiar arm's wrapped around your body and lifted you away from the sobbing boy on the ground. You thrashed wildly in Dean's hold as he carried you over to where Bastian was still wide open and running. He reached inside to take the key's from the ignition before setting you down on top of the warm hood of your car. You took deep breath's to try to settle your raging nerve's but it barely helped to clear your whirling emotion's. 

"Y/N? Hey, baby calm down. Take deep breath's with me, please." Dean was pleading with you now as he tried to get you to stop trying to run from his hold and back to the man who had betrayed you and Bobby. The man who burned down the only home you had ever had before and after Mystic Falls. You tried to calm down. But it was just so hard. Knowing how close you were to completely loosing your mind at that moment you knew that you had to get away. Get away or face falling apart in front of Bobby and Sam and Dean. 

You slid your body off of the hood and snatched the key's away from Dean. Quickly swinging into the driver's seat of Bastian again and closing the door before Dean had a chance to stop you or open the door again before you started the engine up once more and throwing the shift in reverse. Dean jumped back when you did then proceeded to run after the car until you passed the gate and sped down the open road again. Leaving Dean there in the lot, screaming after you to come back.

*****

You drove seven hour's until you made it out of State line's and into Manitoba, Canada. You stopped in a little town called Brandon. Parking under a gas station oning, and sat on the hood of your car to watch the Fall rain gather in puddle's all along the sunken road. 

From the moment you had left Sioux Falls Dean had been calling your cell phone and sending you frantic text messages asking if not pleading with you to come back. The only reply you sent to him was to hide your dagger's for you before the cop's showed up and that you would be back to get them later. After that you had not responded and Dean had started calling every thirty minute's. Then every hour. Until he only started sending texts to ask where you were and if you were ok. You had arrived in Brandon at 4:40 pm and now it was a little after six when you finaly decided to answer one of Bobby's call's.

"Hello?" You droaned out into the reciever. But the voice that answered back wasn't Bobby's. "Y/N?" Dean's voice echoed with worry as it came over the line. You weren't heartless. The last thing you were going to do was hang up on him. So you talked. 

Mostly he asked if you were ok and where you were. When he found out it you were in Canada he flipped. He said that he was going to get in the Impala right there and then and bring you back to Sioux Falls. But you stopped him by hanging up the call and sending him a text saying you would be back on your own in a few hours. You spent one more hour in Brandon before setting a racing speed back to South Dakota.

Within another seven hours you were back in Sioux Falls pulling into the parking lot at 3:00 o'clock in the morning. You shut off the engine and instantly your phone went off with a text message from Dean. 

*Room 212*

Breathing a huge sigh, you took the key's out of the ignition and pocketed them as you closed up the car and made your way up the stairs of the motel and knocked on room number 212. Dean answered the door with a mask of fatigue on his handsome face. It didn't look like he had gotten any sleep and his eye's were bloodshot as if he had been drinking or crying...... maybe both. 

You felt awful. Your presense around Bobby had gotten everyone mixed up in your fucked up problems with a dozen other Hunters. One of the men who burned Bobby's house had been a kid you had grown up and hunted with since you left your birth home. The amount of thing's that they all lost on account of you was astronomical. Many of Bobby's book's were one of a kind and written in languages no one could speak or read anymore. No one but Bobby himself. You felt like this was all your fault.

Dean lead you into the room and to his duffel bag. He pulled out your two dagger's, free of any blood as he presented them to you. You thanked him and a long moment of silence passed between the two of you before you sighed and turned back towards the door. You whispered a goodbye to him over your shoulder as you reached for the door knob. 

But Dean's hand's on your waist and outreached arm stopped you in your track's. You relaxed in his hold as he gripped you a little tighter and pulled you towards the bed. You placed the dagger's on the bedside table before moving to lay down on your side in the bed fully clothed. Dean then took up residences behind you. Spooning with you as he reached around your middle to pull you flush against his chest. You laid like that for a few moment's before he spoke. His voice soft as a whisper as he rubbed small circles into your stomach with the hand that curled over it. 

"Are you okay now?" He asked. His mouth close to your ear as he leand closer to brush a kiss on your cheek. You sighed and instantly relaxed against him. "Yeah. I think I'm good now." You admitted and it was true for the most part. The drive had cleared your head of the anger and the sadness a lot. Dean simply nodded as he pressed his forehead gently against your temple. "The cop's showed up about five minutes after you left." He began and his warm breath tickled your ear. 

"We hid the two guy's that you killed but the one you knocked out and the one Brutus attacked were arrested on the spot. That Jonah guy is being charged with arsen, tresspassing, possession of illegal firearm's and three count's of attempted murder." Dean nuzzled your hair out of the way so that he was right against your skin at the nape of your neck. "He's not getting out anytime soon Y/N. You're safe." His word's settled you greatly and you felt a lot of the tension leave your body all at once as a ragged breath escaped you. All you did was nod as Dean pulled you closer and you turned in his hold to be able to hug him around his torso and bury your face in his throat. 

It had been too close. The fact that Jonah and his gang had found you within such a such time at Bobby's made your gut turn to stone. Now, Bobby's house was gone, and three of your friend's were homeless. Even now that it seemed Dean didn't want you to leave and you yourself didn't want that either, you had a very hard time staying when you thought of the conciquences this had already brought on to the people you had grown so attached to. 

"Where's Brutus?" You whispered quietly. Dean's hand rubbed up and down on your back in a soothing gesture as he kissed your forehead. "He had a few light burn's on his paw's and nose so we took him to the vet. They treated him and he's better now but this damn motel didn't allow pet's so we had to leave him there in the kennels for a while." He squeezed you closer and drew small circles into your back as he rocked you a bit. All you could do was nod.

Dean shifted more on the bed to pull the covers up over you since it was getting cold now that November weather had settled in. He placed a tender kiss on your cheek and you closed your eye's. 'One step at a time.' You thought tiredly. 'It's not the end of the world, and tomorrow is another day.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought's?


	10. Let's talk future on this drive down memory lane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a serious problem with consistency in chapter length, don't I? Oh well, I promise I'll work on it. Happy Reading!

When you woke up the next day Dean was nowhere to be found. Again. You sighed in exasperation and threw the blanket off of your body. Your jacket had been stripped off of you and hung up on the coat rack in the corner. You didn't remember Dean taking it off of you last night nor the fact that your shoes had also been removed and placed near the bedside table along with your dagger's. 

You shook out your hair and got out of the bed, finding one of your duffel's at the entrance to the bathroom. You sighed again and began to rummage through the bag that Dean had obviously gotten out of Bastian's trunk some time when you were sleeping. None of your T-shirt's were clean so you looked at the other duffel beside it and mentally checked the 'Fuck it' box as you picked out one of Dean's button down plaids to go over the thin black spaghetti strap you would have to wear. You took a quick shower and changed into the fresh clothes before grabbing your jacket and putting on your shoes to walk outside.

It was a bright and sunny day though the breeze that swept it's way in through the building was more than just a little nippy. Zipping up your black leather jacket you stuffed your hand's into the pockets and walked over to the railing that overlooked the parking lot. Bastian was still there and so was Bobby's Chevy Chevelle but Baby was gone. Dean had left.

Just as you were about to go and get your duffel to pack up the car and drive away from everything again, a voice stopped you and your hands froze on the railing. 

"Y/N?" Sam's voice piped up from where he had walked up behind you and you slowly straightened up and turned around to face the tall man with pretty hazel eye's. A smile spread sadly across your face as he walked up to you. The sweet young brother of your ...... actually you still didn't know who Dean was to you. You didn't know What you were to him. At time's he made you feel as if you were his whole world and he was yours. But neither of you had ever claimed the other. You had never said that Dean was your boyfriend, lover, significant other or even your friend with benefit's. And vice versa.

It was confusing. So you decided to put it out of your mind. Instead, you focused on Sam as he came closer and presented you with a beer. The sight of it made you laugh. "Breakfast of champion's Sam?" You asked him as he settled beside you at the railing and you took the beer from him. Twisting the top off and toasting the cold drink with his before taking a short pull from it. 

"Where's Bobby at?" You asked as you turned back to stare out across the parking lot. "He went with Dean earlier this morning to go look into a new hideout." He informed you and you nodded with a silent 'oh.' Sam nodded along and sipped his beer as he continued. "A while back we came across a guy that leapfrogged through time and popped out of a closet in our motel room when Dean and I were still solo hunting." 

He looked at you then and offered a sadlike smile. "Turn's out he was our long lost grandfather on our dad's side. He was part of this organization called the Men of Letter's. We went to go check the place out when he died and it was loaded with piles of lore, weapon's, artifact's. It was amazing." Sam's smile was huge as his 'inner geek-boy', as Dean called it, started to show. His reminiscent face glowed brightly over the memory and the happiness was contagious as you let a small giggle escape you. 

"If it was that much of a fanboy wonderland then why didn't you two pick up and move everything there?" You asked with a chuckle in your tone. Sam smirked at that. "Well, we just, didn't want to leave Bobby here alone. You know? He was stubborn. Said he didn't want to move out of the old house when we told him about the Bunker." He looked away and back out toward's the nearly empty lot again. "He said he would love to go check it out one day but he was adimant about staying in Sioux Falls. So we just, stayed with him." He said and there was a wisp of fondness as he spoke about the old man. An affection you'd only have for someone you admired and looked up to.

That feeling was foreign to you, but it was awe inspiring to watch the emotion play out on Sam's face. You could only assume that it was the same way for Dean. "Yeah." You voiced and took a sip of your beer. "I get what you mean." Sam nodded and then his gaze went distant. As if he were thinking deeply on some dark matter. Then he spoke. "Hey, Y/N?" He asked and you hummed in response. "Can I ask you," He paused and looked down seemingly to study the beer in his hand's. "What happened to your family?" He asked it as quiet as though it were blasphemy to even utter the words. You had to admit, it _did_ catch you off gaurd.

Your head jerked up so that your eye's could map every look that had settled on his face to try and figure out why he wanted to know that answer. After a moment of reading him, you saw he was just genuinly curious. You calmed yourself and lowered your proverbial hackles. 

With a sigh, you went ahead and told Sam the shorter version of why you didn't have family to lean on. Though you didn't mention what your father had done, you did tell him that you were disowned and it had been that way for years. You didn't know where your family was now. You skipped the in-depth explaination about your father and brother as well. That was only for Dean. "I left that day and never went back." You said frankly, finishing your beer and setting it on the ground.

"But, don't you miss them? I mean even a little?" Sam asked softly as he too finished his beer. You sighed again, feeling your happiness fading away. "Sometimes." You admitted. "When I have time to myself after a hunt or when I'm alone." You shook your head and took a deep breath. "I think about my younger sibling's. What they looked like, how they smiled. I think about my mom and the pride in her eye's everytime she'd look at us. My cousin's. My aunt and uncle." You pointedly stayed away from the subject of your father and brother. "I've had a lot of time to myself here lately and they've been on my mind a lot more because of that." You sighed.

"But then I think about the fact that I never would have been this free if I hadn't left in the first place." You turned back to Sam with a small smirk on your face. "I would have stayed my families perfect little soldier instead of being my own person, and I can't feel sorry for that, Sam." 

After a moment of carefully digesting that information, Sam gave you a gentle smile. "Well, I'm glad. I'd hate to even imagine what kind of person you'd be if you had stayed in a family that cruel." Sam said and your smile fell a little. "They weren't cruel, Sam." You defended gently. "My family is as old as dirt and tradition was what kept it functional. Granted, our tradition's made the creation of a Spartan warrior look like the life of a washed up kickboxer, but it was our culture nonetheless."

Sam huffed but the look in his eye's showed you that he understood where you were coming from. He pushed away from the railing then and motioned for you to follow him. You picked up your empty beer bottle and followed him all the way back to the room you had shared the night before with Dean. It had been a two bed-room but it was obvious that only one had been used.

You caught the smile Sam had when he saw the messy bed and went to take a chair from the table to place it in front of you as you sat on the edge of the bed and took off your jacket. It wasn't too cold anymore. His large frame was sitting backwards in the seat to lean his arm's over the top of the backrest.

"What?" You asked him with a grin as you layed back on the soft yet messy covers. Sam laughed gently as he shook his head. "Nothin'. Nothin'." He got out as he chuckled again. "I'm just, really glad you're with my brother." He said solemnly and bent to rest his head on his crossed arm's as he continued to look at you. "He was... wrecked... when you took off, and he was moping around all day yesterday." He said and the information drew a wide stare from you. But then the feeling of warmth spread through you as you remembered the tightness of Dean's arm's last night and your heart swelled a little. 

A barely-there smile played on your lips from hearing that. "Aw, shucks Sammy." You smirked to deflect the chick-flick moment you sensed rising up. "You're too kind." Sam just took it in stride and laughed. "See, that's what I'm talking about." He pointed out as he shifted in his seat.

"You and Dean are such a mirror image of each other. Both strong and independent, fenominal Hunters. Both protective of who you love. Both hard headed." He snickered and you rolled your eye's. "Well don't sugar coat it none Sam." You teased as you laid back completely to stare up at the beige painted ceiling.

"Hey," He kicked your foot playfully, making you raise your head up to look back at him. "I'm serious Y/N." He affirmed with a solid look in his eye's. "I'm grateful you two are together. I havn't seen my brother as happy as he is now in a very long time. And even then I don't think he was ever really himself back then." He mused and looked towards the door that you had left open when you came in _after_ Sam had. 

"When you had been outside it looked like someone had stolen your puppy with how ridged your body language was. When we came inside you left the door open. That's a state in your subconscious saying that if Dean were to come back right this second you don't even want to make him have to open a door to come back and say he's home." You raised an eyebrow at him. "You're reading a little too much into this Sam." But he ignored you. "You don't want anything to block you from each other in any way."

His eyebrow's went up slightly as he took in your attire. "You're wearing one of Dean's button down plaids over your spaghetti strap as a subconcious sign stating to any guy that see's you to know that you're taken. Do you see what I'm saying?" He was on the verge of bursting into heavy duty laughter at this time and you barely repressed a frustrated growl. "I see that my subconcious apparently need's to shut the fuck up." You said and quickly but gently pulled off the red and black plaid shirt draped over your shoulder's.

That just made Sam guffaw loudly, throwing his head back as his long chestnut hair bounced in his giddiness. After a moment he stopped and gave you a serene grin. "You're missing the point Y/N." Sam said as he came down from his high. The pique in happiness turning his pale hazel eye's bright teal. "What I'm saying is, is that you're good for each other." He said and chuckled again before forcing himself to be serious.

"You were both given the short end of the stick when it came to father's but you used that to make yourselve's better. Dean is one of the greatest Hunters I've ever known and that's saying a lot because I've known Hunters that have made it to an old age because of how damn good they are. I mean, Hell, you know how amazing Bobby is." The boy's eye's glazed over with that pride you had seen earlier again and you watched it in wonder for a moment more before it disappeared.

"And you?" He went on, pinning you with a gaze of awe and respect. "That Wendigo hunt showed me that you and Dean are one and the same when it come's to the job. Which is both terrifying and comforting. But at least I know that if anything somehow were to happen to me or Bobby, then I know that you'll take care of him." Sam's voice dropped down to a low whisper and the depth of what he was saying was definitely crossing a line he never liked to discuss with Dean around.

"I know that he can keep going. Even if we're not around anymore. As long as he has someone like you there to help him through it. Preferably if it _was_ you." His breathing was heavy and he dropped his eye's to look at the floor. You chose that time to get up and reach out to grab a hold of his huge right hand, squeezing it tightly as you spoke. 

"Nothing like that will ever happen Sam." You said with a force of determination in your voice so strong that it quaked. "Dean wouldn't be the only one to be devistated if anything were to happen to you or Bobby because I can't replace either one of you. So you better believe that I'll be right there with him to make sure nothing ever takes you or anyone we care about away from us."

You squeezed his hand again and this time Sam looked back up at you. "We won't let anything take you guy's away from us Sam. Not a damned thing. So don't ever say that, ok." Your voice shook and you could see the tears beginning to gather in the fringes of his pretty eye's. "I don't ever want to hear that again." You whispered to him, your hand still clamped down on his right one as he nodded and wiped his eye's. 

"See," He said with a smile and a soft laugh in his tight voice. "You two are perfect for each other." He chuckled slightly and took a deep breath. "Dean deserves at least a shred of happiness from this whole fucked up life we live in and he has always tried to fill that hole with booze and one night stands." He informed, throwing a small apologetic look your way that you quickly waved off because you understood very well why Dean had done all of that. 

"He never had much to be happy about and now that I'm grown, all the happiness he used to get from taking care of me is fading because I can do it myself now." Sam sighed and sniffled again. "He deserve's to have as much happiness as this life can possibly let him have, and I think you are that chance at happiness Y/N." He shifted to bring his other hand over the top of both of your clenched one's and continued. 

"You make him happy." He confirmed with another sad smile. "Hell, you can drag a laugh or a smile out of my brother that I've never seen from him before. I can see how much you mean to him....... And more importantly, how much he means to you." He lifted the other hand to reach out and ask for yours. 

You quickly slipped your hand into his much larger one as he locked his gaze with yours. "I can tell by the way you two look at each other when you think that no one else is looking. Neither of you want the other to go anywhere. Even now when Dean went with Bobby to the Bunker, he only went because Bobby wanted to talk to him alone. He didn't wanna go and leave you here." Sam explained and your thought process piqued.

"Why would Bobby want to talk to Dean alone?" The question came out barely audible but Sam was close enough to hear it. "Because he wanted to tell Dean the exact same thing I'm telling you Y/N." He quipped happily. "We heard you drive in last night and we were talking about you and Dean's relationship before we went to bed. At first, Bobby wasn't too happy about it, but then later when we started to see how happy Dean was starting to get, how he started holding his head up higher when he walked we couldn't deny that you two were good together." He sighed heavily before continuing.

"I know you two are still pretty new and you'll have to see where this goes but, whatever has been going on with you two the past few week's has gotten Dean to noticably change and come out of that shell he built around himself. I want to see my brother out of that box and I think he understands that you can break it down for him better than _he_ can now." He reached up to brush a strand of hair out of his face and you shifted a bit uncomfortably on the bed. 

When Sam started again, his voice dropped to a murmur. "For as long as we've known Dean, we could tell right off the bat when his mannerism's changed that he wasn't thinking of just fooling around with you. Dean is acting in a way that we have only ever seen him act with one other person Y/N. But he couldn't make that work. Now he has a chance to have that happiness, friendship and love. Everything he's wanted he has a chance at having with you."

This whole talk was starting to weigh heavily on your heart as you thought deeply on what Sam was actually saying. "It's impossible for you two to seperate yourselves from the life." He treaded softly now. "Now I don't know about you but Dean alway's told me that he was going to die either on the job or on the other end of a barrel of a gun, but that he'd go out with a gun in his hand." Obviously that idea sat about as well with Sam as it did with you from the look of pure dispair etched onto his handsome face. "But I don't want that for him Y/N. I want him to die an old man. Heart attack brought on by all those damn greasy cheeseburgers and the rest of the crap he eats, you know?" He laughed and it brought out a sad smile.

"I know it sounds weird having this conversation with Dean's little brother," Sam conceded as he reached up to flip another lock of hair out of his face. "But I want you to know that Bobby and I definitely prefer him trying to stay alive, instead of throwing himself headlong into the fight. You've given him another reason why he need's to stay up here on earth, and it's a reason neither Bobby nor I could give him. Intimacy and love that doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon." 

The last part made a sour taste creep onto your tongue and you looked outside past the still open motel room door. "Fat lot of good that did everyone." You muttered and brought your hand up to pinch the bridge of your nose. "Bobby's house got burned down because of me. You guy's got attacked, all of Bobby's books and ancient text's are gone. Stuff he took a lifetime to collect," "Oh c'mon Y/N." Sam interupted. "You really think with how paranoid Bobby is that all those book's in there weren't coppied and stored away somewhere else?" 

The thought gave you pause but you went on after that. "Jonah was my fault. Bobby was the one that set me up in a team with him and he hated me because I outclassed him in everything. I lost it. I've never done that before, I've never been that angry and I had to get away. I.... I left and it hurt Dean. Sam, why would you want me anywhere near your brother?" Your voice hitched and you closed your eye's.

Sam let go of your hand's and got up, turned his chair around and sat back down in it to lean closer to you. "Don't think for a second that any of that was your fault. It's their fault for going after an innocent girl and a fellow Hunter when they should be moving on and doing their job's. There are too many monsters and too few of us to waste our time fighting and killing each other."

He leaned in closer so that you had to open your eye's to see him speak. "And as for how I could possibly want you close to Dean..... Is because I know I can't keep him alive on my own. Not anymore. I've hurt Dean my fair share too Y/N. But he has alway's forgiven me, even when I didn't deserve it. You coming back in the middle of the night and him letting you sleep in here instead of getting back in your car and leaving meant he forgave you too."

Another short pause before he added. "You didn't see Dean when they attacked in the beginning Y/N." He said with an enraged tone in his voice. "You didn't see how furious or how vicious he got when they started calling for you to come out of the house. He had woken up to find you gone and these guy's calling you all kinds of names. You didn't see the rage I saw in him when they started calling you a traitor and a murderer.... among other thing's." He whispered the last part. 

"We got a glimpse at what you had been fighting **on your own** for however many years you'd been running. Dean and I both couldn't stand the thought that you had survive groups of three-plus men coming after you. You saw the way he acted when Jonah had gotten a hold of you. To say that Bobby and I would die for you because you're family now, is a weak statement compared to how Dean feel's for you." Sam explained, his face a mask of honest serenity.

There it was again. The old sting of tears wanting to be shed but unable to express them. Your throat contracted and it got a little harder to breath as you let that sink in. _Dean was furious? Over what they said about me?_ Your mind suddenly went to when you were being dragged away from Dean. The look in his eye's when all he could do was stand there and watch as someone took you away from him.

The thought that there could be something deeper between the two of than just a temporary partnership and a good lay every now and then made warmth blossom from the pit of your stomach to the center of your heart. 

You wanted more with Dean. You admitted to wanting to be the only on ehe woke up to every morning. You wanted to be the reason why he got up everyday and packed to go out hunting but always planned to get back home in one piece and face the life that had been chosen for him. You wanted to be the one on the front line's with him against anything and everything that dared to try and hurt the people you both loved and cherished like your own family. Whatever it was that Dean needed to keep fighting and keep living, that's what you wanted to be.

Without a second thought on the matter, you nodded assent to Sam's word's. Acknowledging the boy's unearthly wisdom. "You're too smart for your own good sometime's Sam, you know that?" You smiled and cast a teasing glance at him for a second. Sam just smiled sheepishly. "So I've been told." He smirked and at that second your phone went off with the Traveling Riverside Blues by Led Zepplin tone you had put as Dean's contact ring.

You got up and went over to it while Sam laughed the whole time as you answered and spoke to Dean. Allthewhile you glared at him. "Hello?" You answered and your voice held a tint of exasperation as well as humor that Dean evidently caught. "Hey baby, how's my girl doing?" Dean asked in his slightly southern yet incredible cute accent that you loved. "You sound happy. You having fun listening to Sam go on and on about tech boy stuff?" He laughed and you giggled. Which you started to notice you never did with anyone other than the boy's.

"Actually, we skipped over tech boy stuff today." You said casually, prepping for a joke. "We got right down to girly stuff like when Sam think's his period is going to start and I told him he could borrow a tampon from me if he needed it." You snickered fiendishly as you saw Sam gape at you in horror.

"I even offered to go get him some of his own." You winked at the younger Winchester as Dean guffawed loudly over the speaker as Sam gave you one of his patended Bitch Faces. You joined Dean's deep laughter for a long moment as he recovered enough to add, "Get him the fresh scent one's babe." He chuckled. "Kid sometimes has trouble smelling clean after all those chick-flick moment's."

You grinned at Sam again as he glared dagger's at you and the phone in your hand. "Will do boss." You laughed again. "What's up Dean? I know you didn't just call so that you could torture Sam with me." You looked back at Sam and he mouthed the word's 'Go to Hell.' with a cute little blushy smile. You smiled back and winked at him as you mouthed back 'Rain check.' as Dean spoke again.

"Maybe I just wanted to hear your voice." Dean said seductively and you shook with the urge to reach through the phone and card your fingers through his sandy blond hair. You just opted to hum your disbelief instead before he chuckled again.

"Alright. Me and Bobby made it to Lebanon, Kansas to check out a new place for us to set up shop. It looks good and it's untouched since we're the only one's with a key to get in. Get Sammy to drive you guy's down here. It's about a five hour trip." He informed and his voice dropped down to a whisper, indicating Bobby had to be close by. You smiled into the reciever as he spoke again. "I can't wait to see you." 

You closed your eye's and breathed deeply. All the doubt's you had when you had woken up that morning now completely dash by hearing Dean say those word's. "Give me three hours and I'll be there." You said and walked over to the drawers to grab all of Dean's clothes and place them in his duffle and zipped both yours and his up quickly. Dean's voice came over the line again when you lifted both duffles onto the bed. "I want you in one piece when you get here Y/N." And you could practically hear the smile in his voice.

You smiled on your end. "Ok. Give me four hour's then." You said as you went over to the key holder and grabbed the one's for Bastian. "Y/N," "I can't wait to see you either Dean." You interrupted softly. "I'll see you soon, ok?" Dean huffed happily on the other side of the phone. "Alright. See you soon baby." He whispered. "Bye Dean." You replied and then ended the call.

You sighed heavily before remembering that you weren't the only one in the room. when you turned to face Sam he was wearing a huge teasing grin on his face. "What?!" You snapped out, knowing you weren't going to hear the end of this anytime soon. He just laughed. "First off, what's up with the ringtone?" He asked, motioning to the phone you had dropped on top of your duffle.

You rolled your eye's at him. "So? He put Rambling On as mine in _his_ phone." You defended weakly and then noticed how much worse you had just made it when he laughed again. "Shut up Sam." He stopped laughing but instead grinned at you as he rose from the chair and put it back under the table. "Second, do you see my point?" He asked as you swept the room with your eye's to see if anything was left behind. There wasn't.

"What are you talking about Sam?" You said as you both made your way out of the motel room and down to Sam and Bobby's. When you both entered he packed all of his clothes as well as Bobby's in their duffle's before he too locked the room and the both of you headed down to drop off the room key's before going to Bastian and Bobby's old car he had taken from the scrap yard.

"You and Dean." He smiled as he threw the bag's into the back seat on top of all the salvaged book's Bobby managed to drag out of the rubble of his house. "So precious. Almost like you complete each other." He snickered and opened the door to the driver's side of Bobby's beat up old Chevy Chevelle. "Almost like you two were a match.." "If you say 'match made in Heaven' Sam so help me I will end you." You threatened and yanked open the driver's door to Bastian.

Sam laughed heartily. "You gonna follow me or do you want me to just send you the address so you can go at your own pace?" He asked as he folded himself into the small seat of the car. You shook your head at the younger Winchester. "Send it to me. I still have to go get Brutus from that damn shelter Bobby put him in. Poor baby." You said as you climbed into the car and closed the door.

Sam nodded and took out his phone. When you got the text with the address you waved him off, muttering to yourself that even detouring to go get Brutus wouldn't mean that Sam would make it to Lebanon first. Just the thought of it made you giddy.

*****

"There's my girl." Dean voiced happily as you stepped out of the car. He barely waited for you to close the car door when he scooped you up in his arm's and spun you around once before pulling you closer. You laughed childishly as your arm's wound around Dean's muscular neck.

"Jeez Dean its only been twelve hours." You teased but oh it felt so good to be back with him now that you knew his distance hadn't meant that he didn't want you. He laughed into your hair and slowly let you down onto your feet but refused to let you go. "And that matters...... why?" Dean smiled and bent down to kiss your forehead.

You smiled and pulled back enough to look up at him. "So, we just gonna spend the rest of the day out here or are you gonna give me a tour of this secret Bunker of yours?" You asked with a smirk and he grinned as his arm's slipped away and one hand grabbed for yours.

"C'mon." He encouraged and led you to the heavy iron door placed in the sunken trench. You had to admit, you had seen a lot of Hunter Hideaway's in your time but when Dean led you into the Men of Letters Bunker, 'Wow' didn't even begin to describe it.

After the ungodly two flight's of stairs section was over you saw that the interior of the safe house was enormous. Fully functional power source, running waterheater. Dean showed you the garage as well as the shooting range. The kitchen was huge and recently fully stocked. Also reminding you that you had Chips and caned goods still in the trunk of your car that you would need to get out soon.

The library was vast and had everything from lore book's to weapon's displays. The sitting area had a giant table with a map of the world made into the top. The chest area at the top of the stairs would definitely be used sometime soon judging from the look Sam had given you when you both had walked into the room. Honestly, there was so much to see within this hideout it wasn't even funny. Then Dean showed you the corridors.

"These are all just empty room's." Dean said with a wave. "Of course you're allowed to choose whichever one you want. This is my room." He said as he stopped in front of one door and opened it to reveal a room decorated with every type of shotgun ever made. A memory foam matress and a few photo's on his desk with a lamp light over them.

"I like your room." You whispered warmly. "It feel's homey." You looked up at him and saw that his eye's were on the photo's. "Yeah." Was all he said before looking back down at you. "So, which room do you want? Although, I gotta say, I'd prefer if you at least take the room across or on the side of me." He suggested frankly and with a wiggle of his eyebrows. You smiled gently at him before leaning up to kiss his chin. "What if I like your room better?" You asked with a cheeky grin of challenge on his face. He answered the way you expected he would. His smile turned wolfish and his arm's encircled you again, hoisting you high and walking inside the room to slam the door. Your duffle dropped and forgotten on the ground outside.

*****

Two day's came and went after settling into your new room in the Bunker. Sharing a room with Dean had become a normal occurance by now and neither of you had complained about the arrangements. Especially since Dean's room was in its own corridor so far away from Sam and Bobby's room's.

The routine started to settle in your lives nicely once again between everyone and you were glad to finaly have that rythm back. Today, you had made breakfast with Bobby for everyone as the boy's and Brutus sat at the picnic table in the corner of the kitchen. Bobby poured everyone black coffee which they then chose whether or not to use cream and suger. You made plates filled with scrambled egg's, toast and sausage link's for everybody. You had even made a seperate plate of sausage for Brutus you made sure to give him out of Bobby's sight.

Life was comfortable now. Simple. It was happy. After breakfast was over Sam went to the file room and Bobby went to the library while Dean led you and Brutus to the sitting area with the printed map table. You both had just started asking what the other felt like doing for the day when Bobby sauntered back into the room with the air of authority he used when assigning jobs to the three of you. Sam came in not a moment after and took a seat in the chair on the other side of you. Brutus adjusted to lay down directly behind your chair.

Bobby sat in the seat on the other side of the table and crossed his hands as he redied himself to speak. "Now that we're all settled into our new digs here I need you idgit's to saddle up and get on the road again." Bobby said in his most ornery voice. "I lost a lot of reading material in the fire and I need you three to go out to my storage's and get the copies I made of all of my books." He grumbled before sliding two slips of paper towards Sam and another one to you and Dean.

"What's this?" Dean asked as he took the paper and held it in front of the both of you so that you could see it clearly. "Coordinates, box numbers and combination codes for the store units that have all my other book's, and copies of the one's from the house, hidden away." Bobby shifted to lean forward and lay his arm's on the table top. "The two Sam has are the smaller one's that have maybe thirty books all together." He quipped. "The one I gave to you and Y/N there is the big storage unit I got out in Virginia. That one has the other fourty tomes, spell books and Cunieform text's. Imma need all of those back."

Your spine had stiffened when Bobby had said Virginia. You avoided that entire state for a reason. A flash of ice blue eye's entered your vision and was gone just as quick. "Cuneiform huh?" Dean said, not seeming to notice the tensing of your body under his arm which made you infinitely grateful. 

"Yeah. As in rare as hell." Bobby summarized and got up from the table. He looked at all of us for a moment and we waited expectantly. "Well?" He asked gruffly. "You idgit's waitin' for an invitation? Get goin' already! If you hurry it up you might be home in time for Thanksgiving. So get a move on!" And with that, everyone scrambled up from the table. You narrowly avoided hitting Brutus with your chair when you stood, and made your way to the garage where all the cars were parked.

You still felt incredibly uncomfortable with going back to Virginia. But the address Bobby had given you on the paper was for a place in Waynesboro which wasn't anywhere near Mystic Falls. You took a deep breath to collect your thought's and harden your nerve's. 'Stop being a baby.' You berated yourself. 'You have a job to do so woman up already!' The mental pep talk calmed you enough to turn to Dean with a look of curiosity as he started talking to you.

"Ok so since we got the biggest haul I think we should take Baby for the book run." Dean said happily and it distracted you completely from your darker thought's. You knew why he was so elated with the idea of taking the Impala. It would be the first time you had ridden with him in the car alone and while you weren't aching from bodily injuries. There were plenty of possibilities and the implication's would have caused a blush to creep into your cheek if Sam hadn't walked into the garage at the same time and was throwing not so subtle glances between you and his brother with a wiggling smile plastered to his lips.

You mentally scoffed at the younger Winchester for eavesdropping and hearing something that he knew would bring you back to the awkward conversation the two of you had back at the motel in Sioux Falls. But instead of calling attention to him, you turned back to Dean and smiled. It was a cute tactic he had just used and you considered that you might as well let Dean drive. There was no point in taking two cars and he had been wanting you to ride with him for some time now. You just gave him an agreeing nod and began to walk over to Baby's passenger side.

"Hey, Y/N?" Sam's voice stopped you before you could slide into the passenger seat. "Yeah Sam?" You asked as you turned to face him. He reached a hand up to scratch the back of his head like a little boy who was talking to his crush for the first time. "Can I um, I mean, would you mind if I took Bastian out on my run for the book's?" He asked and his smile was slightly lopsided and a bit awkward.

"I really don't want to have to take Bobby's Chevelle again. It kinda hurts getting in and out of that thing, especially after driving all scrunched up for hours straight. It's just too damned small." He added the last sentence a bit more sheepishly. You considered his words for a moment before fishing in your pocket and taking out the Challenger's key's to toss at Sam, which he caught expertly. "You scratch him and it's your ass Sam Winchester." You gave him the pattented warning before throwing him a wink and sliding into your seat in Baby.

Dean ducked into his seat not a moment later and when you turned to look at him, he was smiling. "What?" You asked, more than a little curious as to what would have made such a beautiful smile grace Dean's always all too serious face. He huffed a laugh before speaking. "Never thought you'd ever willingly let anyone drive your boy if it wasn't absolutely necessary." He mused as he turned the key in the ignition and the Impala roared to life. You just shrugged as you turned in your seat and rested your feet up in his lap.

"Just thought it'd be sad if your little brother developed a hunchback from being in Bobby's car for too long." You provided as Dean put his right hand on your jean clad leg and began to rub small circles into the denim. He chuckled gently before shaking his head and throwing the shift into gear.

*****

The trip over to Waynesboro, Virginia had been long and somewhat boring. You and Dean had made up a game of naming the make and model of every car you passed to fill the time you had spent on the road. It had been fairly successful and even a little fun.

Getting the disks, book copies, folders and whatever else you could find that looked like something a Hunter might use had been a lot quicker than you had originally anticipated. About three hours after hitting town you both were ready to go back to the Bunker. 

You had been a bit tired lately because of the dreams that had started crossing over into your wakeful state as well as when you slept. The nightmares had started getting to the point where you would wake up from thrashing around next to Dean in the dead of night. So Dean had suggested that you to take a nap while he drove the both of you back to Lebanon.

Although, that hadn't really ended up the plan Dean was going by. 

When you woke up about fourty five minutes later, it was to watch the Impala being parked on an eerily familiar tall hill that was overlooking a familiar landscape below. It took all of two seconds before the wind left your lungs as fast as if someone had gut-punched you. 

This hill had been one of the many spot's you had sat upon and appreciated for it's view of the town, especially at night when all the light's would be on in the city. But then again, there had always been plenty of things to appreciate in Mystic Falls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How does it feel to finally be back home?


	11. Try for Closure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok, just letting everyone know now, I wrote my own version of the towns history and the Hunter Origins. Don't hate me for that, please. I wanted something that could better tie in with my plot. I promise, it's still a good background for history.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. AM. So Sorry it took me so long to post a new chapter everyone. I had to cram for summer Finals for college so writing kinda had to take a back seat for a bit. But I hope this makes up for it. Now, I know we all know Dean's persona like the back of hands, but I decided to make him speak up for once. Give us all a Dean we know we want. I hope you enjoy what I did to him. Lets see what am I forgetting?..... OH! To Sarah, I truly appreciate the love you have for my story dear. I promise I'll try to update more often now. Haha, alright, now lets get on with the story and your badassery! ..... I know it's a made up word but there isn't one that existed to describe how awesome you are in this story. All of you!

Panic was starting to become a regular feeling when it came to Dean and your past. Here you were in bum fuck Virginia, picking up some old tomes for Bobby one minute and then you shut your eye's and in a blink you were in the Impala looking down on a town you'd long left in your rear view. 'I mean, what the fuck?!' You thought angrily, your mind whirling for some way out of this situation.

The first thing that came up after the initial terror was asking yourself why? Why did Dean drive you further into Virginia? Why was he looking down at the town as if he was studying the last piece of some mysterious puzzle? And then, 'How did he know about this place?'

Blood began to roar in your ears as your heartbeat began to race and beat against your chest hard enough to hurt. You shouldn't be here. You didn't **want** to be there. The source of your nightmares so close all you had to do was look towards the farthest end of the brilliantly lit town, and you'd see the Boarding house sitting proud and strong nestled in the small crop of wooden area on the border. Perhaps you would even see the beautiful 1969 Blue Jean colored Camaro Convertible parked in the circular driveway.

"Y/N?" Dean's voice snapped you out of your deep musings and you turned to focus your bleary vision on his worry scrunched face. You schooled your features as best as you could before thinking up a strategy. You took a shallow breath before asking in the most innocent tone you could muster, "Where are we?" You were proud of yourself that your voice managed to stay solid and not shake in the slightest. Although, as soon as you finished you could see it Dean's eye's that he wasn't fooled. And evidently he didn't appreciate you trying to lie to him.

He turned the key in the ignition, shutting off the Impala's engine and leaving an eerie quiet settling in the cooling space between the both of you as he locked his gaze with yours again. "This is Mystic Falls, Y/N." He said, turning more in his seat to face you more fully. "This is your home, right?" He said it gently but you knew it was not a question. He knew exactly what this place was to you. Your spirit plummeted into a nonexistent, empty space.

"How?" You asked and lowered your head before looking out the window to the familiar town again. "You shouting the name out in your sleep kinda helped a bit." He said and you felt your body stiffen. ' _Fuck_.' You felt him reach out and grab your hand. "A few weeks ago when you woke up to Bobby and Sam breaking down the door? You were screaming Y/N. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry about anything more than you already were with those nightmares."

You gritted your teeth. "So instead you bring me to the place that all of my nightmares are about?!" You snapped, your body going ridged but you never looked towards him. "What made you think that this would be better for me than simply shouldering the nightmares? Nightmares that I never remember when I wake up!" Your stomach was rolling and sadness began to replace the anger. It felt like you were going to throw up as you pulled your hand away from his. 

"Y/N," Dean began. "Why would you bring me here?" You muttered, cutting Dean off. You just felt so defeated. "What, in the last few conversations we have had about my past made you think I would **ever** be ok with coming back here Dean?!" You almost snarled and you could feel a cold void settling in your heart suddenly.

"Dammit Y/N, your fucking nightmares are the _reason_ that I did this." Dean snapped back. "For week's it's been one nightmare after another. You all but scream Damon's name and you cry out for him sometimes. How do you expect me to feel?! What did you expect me to **do**?!" He pressed one hand against his chest before it fisted and he raised it up as his head bowed. He took a moment to compose himself in that position and your heartbeat slowed immensely

"The way I saw it was that if you got some closure then you could finally move on. If you saw for yourself that this Damon guy was safe, fine and living his own life then you could do the same. Do you have any idea how much of a torture it is to care about someone the way I do about you, to go to bed with you after mind blowing sex only to wake up to you screaming for someone else?" Dean's voice broke slightly and your own breath choked in your lung's as he laid into you with the truth of how he was feeling. "It's killing me Y/N!" He whispered the words heatedly but the pain seared into your heart. Maybe talking about your feelings wasn't such a great idea after all.

You raised your head at that statement, feeling as if someone had just punched you in the gut. You turned then to look him in the eye's. His sad, bleary, beautiful green eye's. "Dean, I'm sorry." And your words are sincere. You truly hadn't known nor even thought what this would have done to him. But that didn't change the facts. "I'm sorry that this keeps happening but closure is not what I need for me to forget about this place." Your gaze turned to find the city below you again and you scanned every lamp light in the windows of the more visible houses as well as street lights you could see below you. 

"Mystic Falls is a page in my book that I have _tried_ to burn. Too many times to count but.." "But it wouldn't burn." Dean cut in a bit harshly. You turned to look at him again. Your mouth gaping open slightly. Dean spurred forward in his verbal assault. "Everything about this place got stuffed into a folder in your mind and filed under ' **Too Painful to Deal With.** '" Dean took a deep breath and licked his lips, your gaze drawn directly to the movement before you could control it and it stayed there as he continued to speak. 

"Damon. Your friends. Your life. The facts that this place used to be your home.." " **It's not my home anymore!** " You raged, coming out of your fascination with the Hunters soft looking lips. "I don't need closure. And I sure as hell don't need to see **him**!" Tears stung your eye's but you fought tooth and nail to hold them at bay. Your breathing got labored and erratic all at the same time. "All I need is to get as far away from this town as possible and never come back again."

Dean looked at you through narrowed eye's as he regarded your reaction and the shiny wash of unshed tears still filling your eye's. "So you're just going to spend the rest of your life running away from this?" Dean hissed out the accusation. "You're going to continue making me wake you up and comfort you when you thrash around next to me, screaming for another man you haven't been with in over five years?!" Dean snarled the words and his hands clenched into fists.

It was a slap to the face. You pulled back in shock. As far as the closed door of the Impala would let you before anger began to rage and flare through every fiber of your being. Dean instantly cursed and the anger in his own eye's faded rapidly to complete horror. "Y/N, wait. I didn't mean that..." "Yes you did." Your heated whisper interrupted him and you glared darkly into his eye's. "Yes you did, Dean." And you reached for the door handle behind you and yanked hard. You pushed it open and got out of the Impala, shivering slightly as the cool wind whipped around you. You took one last look at the town below you before you turned and made your way down the opposite end of the hill towards the road.

"Y/N, where are you going?" Dean had opened his door at the same time as you and was now running after you. When he grabbed for your hand your instant reaction was to spin around and hit him but instead you just jerked your hand out of his grip. "Leave me alone, Dean. I'll hitchhike back to Lebanon. I can't even be in the same _car_ with you right now." Your throat choked on the words and you had to fight to keep it steady. "I'll get my stuff and be out of your hair for good Dean." You bit out and turned to keep walking.

"What?!" Dean exclaimed. Panic instantly shaking his voice down to the very cords. "Y/N that's not what I,..... I didn't bring you here to make you feel that way!" "Then what then?!" You whirled around and looked at him again. "Because if I remember correctly I pleaded with you, I **begged** you to let this go. And you turn around and do this to me?! Really?" You shook your head angrily, throat tightening up to the point of pain.

"It's not just Damon that those dreams are about. It's the fact that those damned Hunters are still after me. The first time I fought them, was here in Mystic Falls. They attacked Damon's house when I went to say goodbye and they nearly killed him!" You reached up and tore at the thin material of the light gray t-shirt you were wearing away to expose the bullet scar on your right shoulder and turned to flash it at him. "They were gunning for me and they almost _did_ finish the job. I took a bullet to the shoulder and almost got buckshot to the head that day to protect him. So I packed up all my shit and left." You let go of the shirt and stared directly into Dean's horror widened eye's. "To protect **everyone**." 

Dean was breathing hard and his eye's had a shiny wash over them like at any moment tears would stream down those stubble coated cheeks and break what little was left of your heart. It hurt to watch him break down so much over you. But it also hurt that he had betrayed the trust you had given him.

"On my own it took five years before the next group tracked me down in New Orleans. I'm barely with you and Bobby for three month's and they attacked your home and burned it to the ground looking for me." The press of a huge migraine was starting to curl it's way around your right eye and down your jawbone.

"If anyone finds out that I came back here then this whole town will be in danger." You gasped out and real fear leaked into your voice. Causing a shiver to rattle your body's frame. 

"Not even the guy's after you would hurt an entire town full of human's." Dean tried to rationalize with you. Oh if only he understood just how wrong that sentence was on so many levels. "No matter the vendetta, there'd be too many witnesses. Not to mention that they're all _human_. And from what you told us there can't be that many of them left to hunt you." Dean took the opportunity to crowd closer into your personal space in the usual, familiar way. But with everything going on in this situation you couldn't help but feel like it was completely intrusive. You took a step back. "Fifteen against one is still a lot Dean." You reminded him.

You regarded him for a long moment before making a decision. He was just going to believe you were paranoid for no reason if you didn't explain. "The people in Mystic Falls," You began slowly, choosing your words carefully. "They're different." You desperately hoped that he would understand. "They're special. Damon, his brother, a lot of my friends that live here are... unique... and that uniqueness could make them monsters in a Hunters eye's." You looked off towards the town again, the light from below illuminated the outline of the hill in the night sky.

"What do you mean _special_? Why would they be monsters?" Dean murmured the words softly as if he were afraid that any tone too loud would cause you to dash off at any moment. You raised your hand and began to chew on your nails, which you also hadn't done in a long time because it showed anxiety and stress. Funny. Dean seemed to be able to make you do a lot of things you hadn't done in a long time.

You just sighed and continued. "A long time ago, Mystic Falls used to be the home of a very old, very powerful Coven of witches." You thought of Bonnie and her wild attitude towards life magic and decided to use only some of the truth and _omit_ the rest.

"Back in colonial days when monsters roamed in every corner of the world, this Coven used the magic of the land to weave a powerful protection spell over the whole area of the town." The more you revealed, the more Dean's eye's widened to the size of saucers.

"The spell wards against very specific bloodlines of monsters that existed in that time. It also warded against any ill intended monster that came near the town. In some history books dedicated to this Coven, it says that even the Veil between this world and each of the next one's were created as a result of the Coven's protection spell. Though that theory was never proven." You shook your head. All the information Bonnie had ever given you seemed to swirl around in your mind now that it was being brought up so many years later.

"What, you mean these were, good witches?" Dean asked and he looked like he wanted to wrap an arm around you but he stayed where he was. You having already pulled back from him twice tonight. You regarded him somewhat passively. Not entirely sure how to feel about his tone.

"Not all non humans are monsters Dean." You defended in a low whisper. "That Coven no longer exists because they didn't use dark magic to stay young and strong forever like the ones you have killed in the past. But the Veil and the Protection warding is still very much in effect." Your voice had gotten hard and you dropped your gaze from Dean's scrutinizing eye's. 

Dean sighed from beside you. "Y/N I'm trying to understand but this just isn't making any sense." Dean stepped closer and tried to catch your eye. "I know there are some monsters out there that ain't all bad but what you're saying is just too big to wrap my head around. How can a Coven with that much power not end up going dark side?" 

You sighed. "The Covens back then prided themselves in the beauty that light and earth magic provided." You shook your head. "The people in Mystic Falls are affected by the spell in different ways. Some are just regular people with regular lives but others were meant to be sort of like, guardian's of the town and of the Veil. Those people's families and their bloodlines were woven into the protection spell as an extra measure of defense."

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked, incredulous. " _I'm talking about people like Bobby_!" You snapped harshly. "People like Rufus Turner or the son's of bitches still after me. The people who _chose_ to be Hunters. In Mystic Falls, the Coven wove in strong bloodlines to already be chosen Hunters a the time of their births." You thought of Jeremy and that awful time where he had wanted to kill everything supernatural. Including his own sister, all of your friends..... and Damon as well.

You took a deep breath to try and calm your nerves. "The people in Mystic Falls are good people. The whole time I lived there I trained with one of those Hunters and we both protected the town along with other friends of mine. I left to stop any more dangers entering the town. It wasn't just for Damon." Your voice was starting to become small and sad. "It was for everyone affected by the spell that would make them look like the supernatural to ordinary human Hunters." 

You looked up into Dean's dazed emerald eye's and practically begged him to understand. "That is the source of my nightmares, Dean. I'm not screaming for Damon to come to me. I'm screaming for him and everyone else to run _away_ from me. The way _you_ should." Your hands snake their way into your own hair and you grab fistfuls of it as a torrent of emotions started to cloud your judgement.

"Everyone who gets close to me either get hurt or killed! My brother, Clay, Damon and all my friends and now you, Bobby... God, your brother could have died Dean!" You yelled and ripped your hands out of your hair. Amazingly you managed not to yank out any strands. "Sam could have died and it would have been **my fault**!" And there it was. The last break you needed for the wall to come crumbling down and allow the tears to finally flow.

The moisture almost hurt from the fact that crying had been a lost art to you for quite some time now. Yet, it felt liberating to finally release the tight hold you had on your emotions and to allow the tears to carry away some of the pain and sadness. Dean though, only began to scrunch up his face as if someone was cutting out his heart right there in front of him. 

He quickly strode forward and swept you in his arm's, holding you in a grip so tight that it made it hard to breathe. But at that moment you couldn't find it in you to give a damn. You wrapped your arm's around his middle to try and pull him even closer to you as you sobbed in his arm's. His hands roamed all over your body as he whispered in hushed tones into your ear. Kissing your hair as his hands rubbed down your back. 

"Y/N, no." Dean said in a shaky voice against your hair. "None of that, none of **this** is your fault baby. You were just trying to survive. You were trying to keep other people you love safe. The way you tried when those bastards showed up and put guns on Bobby, Sammy and me. That isn't your fault baby. That's your job." He crushed you even closer to his body and tucked his head down to rest his mouth close to your ear.

"You told me once that I carry so much that I don't have to." He murmured and you heard his voice crack as though he were on the verge of crying also for your sake. "But it takes one to know one Y/N." He adjusted his hold to where one arm wrapped around your waist and the other snaked up your back to anchor his hand in your hair at the back of your head. 

"You carry a lot of shit that you don't have to because you feel just as responsible for what happens to the people you care about as I do for Sam or Bobby." You felt him kiss the side of your face through the mass array of wild (y/h/c) tresses. "Or you." He finished and your crying slowed to small, hiccupped and gasping breaths.

When you looked back up at him again you saw his own face tear streaked and red flushed as he looked down at you. "You don't have to be strong by yourself anymore Y/N." He leaned down to press his forehead against yours and closed his eye's as he took deep, calming breaths. "Let me be strong for you. Share the load with me, so that you can sleep peacefully and when you wake up from a nightmare, you only call for me." He moved slightly and his nose brushed yours. So soft and gentle.

"Let me help you fight. Not because I don't think you can do it alone, but because I know you've fought alone, long enough." His pleading stirred something deep in your heart. Something you thought was broken was suddenly warming at the thought of fighting beside someone again. Someone strong, who could take the pain that being near you required. Someone who could withstand the storm. Someone like Dean. 

But was it really far of you to let him carry such a heavy burden? As you remembered the look in his eye's when you where being dragged away by Jonah back at Bobby's and coupled with the look he bore into your gaze now, the decision was already made. Dean was an adult. A strong man who had every right to choose what burden he would bear. If he saw something in you that would prompt him to ask to share your load, who were you to deny him? Your heart, certainly didn't object as it swelled almost painfully with warmth.

You held onto him for another moment before nodding and laying your head back against his broad chest to listen to his strong and steady heartbeat rumble softly under your ear. Each thump of it pulsing in your own veins as though you both were linked. That the beating matched yours to the very second seemed cosmic. Almost like you and Dean were meant for each other. Perhaps what Sam had said back at the motel wasn't just some lighthearted joke. It was almost like,... you were one.

"I will not leave you Y/N." His hold became a bit less desperate and radiated safety. Becoming more possessive. "I don't ever want to lose you. So stop trying to take off because I will chase you down every time and bring you back because you are _mine_. I will tie you to the chair in the Bunkers dungeon until you stop fighting what is between us. I can see how much you hate the idea of leaving every fucking time you threaten to do it." His voice was hard but not unfriendly. More like unwavering. Determined. 

"So stop trying to use it as some fucked up crutch not to deal with something. I'm here, Y/N. I'm with you." He reached you and cupped your chin to gently draw it up so that you had to look at him. "But you gotta let me be there baby. Through good and bad." From what you and Sam had discussed of Deans mannerisms, this was certainly a different side of Dean he hadn't showed anyone before.

Was it possible that he was willing to fight to keep you in his life? Was he willing not to let something walk out of his life finally? Was it you that he wanted that much that he wouldn't accept you walking out on him. Oh God, the thought swelled your heart to the size of your whole chest as you listened to his words. The feeling of overwhelming warmth flowed from your heart and into every vein you held in your system. It was a glorious sensation. Dean was finally being selfish for once. And you were the source.

He took a shuddering breath. "I don't...... I can't, care about anyone else the way I care about you." The ' **L** ' word had yet to be said by either of you but that was fine with you. That word wasn't something you liked to just throw around and it wouldn't surprise you if Dean carried the same belief. That word was powerful, and though many of the teachings your family had drilled into you were now irrelevant, the importance and reverence of the four letter word still applied in your ethics.

You took a deep breath and pushed back from Dean's warm and soft, leather jacket clad arm's so that you could look up at him, meeting his hazy clouded green eye's with your own bleary (y/e/c) ones.

"I won't leave you Dean." You whispered softly and your fingers slowly curled around the soft black shirt drawn tight over his perfect, broad chest. "If it's possible, I don't ever want to leave you. I want to be with you. Past be damned. Hunter Packs be damned. All I want is you." You confessed and it was true. Though you both had only known each other for two month's now, there was something about Dean that had caught your attention. Something you recognized from your time with Damon yet it felt stronger. You were falling for those bright emerald eye's and falling fast and hard.

It was frightening. Yet thrilling. Reckless. Nothing good could possibly come of this. You were bound to get hurt. And yet... What is life without a little risk? And you definitely have never been one to shy away from danger. You summoned your strongest smile and beamed up at him. The tears that fell from your eye's at that moment were nothing but warm. "Just you." You repeated and Dean drew in a sharp breath before the hand cupping your chin moved down to cover one of your hands fisting his shirt.

"Well," He breathed out in a raspy, husky voice. A voice that made your skin tingle. "Why don't you prove it to me baby?" He dared, leaning down the next second to capture your mouth in a hot kiss and you melted against him. Closing your eye's and unwinding your hands from his shirt in favor of wrapping your arms around his neck. You could feel his smile against your lips as one arm wrapped around your waist and the other hand snaked up to gently hold the back of your head.

The position screamed possessive for both of you. The soft yet insistent press of his lips. The slickness of his tongue as it demanded entry to your mouth showed you just how serious he was that he wanted you there. That he wanted you with him. That he wanted you in his life period. He tasted like the black coffee from the diner you had stopped to eat at in Waynesboro and the chocolate bar you two had shared in the car afterwards. It was your own little slice of Heaven.

As you both stood there in the middle of a Virginia cliff side with the cool breeze of November nipping through your clothes down to your skin, the clarity hit you full force. The type of bond that you and Dean had created in such a short time was hard to explain, though you could **feel** how strong and alive it flared when you found yourself in his arms. It was pure. And it was all for him.

A few moments later, you both broke away from the kiss and pressed your foreheads together to catch your breaths as you stared deeply and fondly into each others brightly glowing eye's.

After a few seconds, Dean reached up to touch your face. Stroking his thumb softly down your cheek. "I think that was our first fight baby." He stated with a small and guilt tinged smile. "I'm sorry I brought you here Y/N. I didn't realize that..." "Dean I understand why you did it." You said with a small sigh. and pulled one hand down from around his neck to cup his cheek and rub your own thumb through the tickling little bristles. 

"You thought it would help me move on and make it easier for us." You leaned up on your toes and kissed him again quickly. "I'm sorry I overreacted. I really do appreciate the thought." You said and he grinned. "Overreacted is playing it a little low don't you think?" And you hit his chest lightly with an open palm. "Shut up." You laughed into his chest as he wrapped his arms around you more. "But seriously Dean." You murmured, looking back up into his eye's again. "Lets try to keep the fighting to a minimum. I honestly hate the feeling."

Dean huffed a laugh as he squished his forehead and nose directly to yours. "You and me both babe." He breathed and his eyelids drooped halfway so that he was squinting at you adoringly. He gave you one of his patented 'Dean Winchester side-smirks' as he chuckled lowly. His whole frame reverberated with the laughter and it lightened your heart enough that you hid your face in his jacket to hide your blush and the new fit of giggles. 

"Hey?" Dean laughed again and tried to pull you out of his jacket so that he could see your face. It only served to make you bury further into the jacket as another cool breeze swept around you both. Once the breeze passed, he moved his hands to your sides and tickled you. In order to get away from his ghosting and feather light touches you had to pull out of his jacket and away from him.

You jumped back about three feet and Dean's eye's squinted playfully as he took a step after you. You squealed, dammit you fucking squealed like a five year old girl playing tag, and ran back up the hill towards the car. You made it to the back door before Dean caught you and lifted you up and away from the Impala. You squealed again and laughed as Dean turned you in his arms. "Why you runnin' from me sweetheart?" Dean asked with his wolfish grin.

You chuckled again before contorting your body to slip from his hold. When both feet were on the ground you smirked, said, "It's not fun if I make it that easy for you babe." and ran to the backseat door again, yanked it open and crawled in. You quickly grabbed the door handle and leaned back with all your weight to hold it closed as Dean came up and tried to yank it open.

He laughed on the other side of the door and smiled down at you inside as his first attempt at opening it failed. On the second try though, he pulled hard and the handle slipped from your fingers as you fell back onto the seat, laughing with glee as Dean crawled into the small space and laid over you. You were successfully pinned between his hips and the soft leather of the seat.

His gaze bore into yours as his hands came up to cup your cheek at the same time yours came up to press over his heart. "I don't think I'll ever understand how something as amazing as finding you could happen to me." Dean said solemnly and his gaze dropped to your lips as his thumb brushed over the bottom one. You looked at him closely and brought both of your hands up to frame his face.

"Good things do happen Dean. I'm just as surprised that I found you." You rubbed your thumbs slowly back and forth across his cheeks, the stubble tickling your fingertips slightly. He closed his eye's and let his head hang down to rest against your shoulder. You never stopped the motion though. He groaned softly, relaxed, before he muttered, "That feels so good." He wiggled his hips and you spread your legs so that he could nestle in between them.

You smiled and just held each other like that for another few moments before you shivered slightly and Dean sighed. "It's getting cold." He commented as he picked up his head to look at you. You hadn't brought a jacket. You nodded. "Yeah, kind of." You murmured. Dean stared at you for a moment more before smiling softly and leaning down to brush a gentle kiss on your lips before removing himself from on top of you, taking his warmth with him. 

You sighed and climbed out of the backseat quickly. When you closed the door Dean held out his soft leather jacket to you. "It's a long drive back home Y/N. Could you wear this for me? It gets in the way a lot when I drive." He smiled and his green eye's dazzled. 

You smirked and took the jacket to drape it around your shoulders. "You're a terrible liar Dean Winchester." You scoffed and inhaled the scent of Dean, gun powder, whiskey and allspice, that clung to the jacket. He just smiled and motioned for you to get in to the car. You did, and Dean turned the key in the ignition, Baby roaring to life as he threw the stick in reverse.

"So what do you say," Dean began as he slowly backed up the car away from the cliff edge. "When we get back to the Bunker and drop off all of Bobby's old and dusty books we take another drive? Out to the country maybe? Just you and me?" The suggestion snapped your attention to him immediately. He was smiling. It caused you to lace your fingers with his right hand and draw it over to settle on top of your left thigh. "I like that idea." You confirmed and he said nothing. Only rubbed circles into your leg and on the inside of your thigh. It brought back another thought. "Although," You smirked as you locked your gaze with his. "You have to promise me that we'll explore that idea of tying me to the chair in the Bunker's dungeon." 

A hungry and near animalistic look devoured his beautiful green eye's as his pupils blew out wide with lust. The wolfish grin he bestowed upon you gave away quite a few naughty Winchester thought's that made you shiver in a delicious way. Dean drove steadily down the hill and when he parked cautiously at the bottom where it met the main road, he paused. The intersection opened into a Dead man's Curve where you had to be extremely careful and look before pulling out onto the road. 

You had to admit, you were happy that you were leaving Mystic Falls behind. Perhaps this talk with Dean had been the closure you needed. To ' _share the load_ ' as Dean had said earlier. Maybe, just maybe, the nightmares would end tonight.

Evidently, they would end one way or another.

As Dean pulled out onto the road to go left, his fingers tightened around yours slightly and you looked over to smile at him when two bright headlights sped their way into your view from around the curve. A huge semi was taking the curve far too quickly and the vehicle swung out into your lane. Before you could utter a cry for Dean to turn the wheel, the semi plowed through the outside lane, hitting the guard rail and bouncing back into your side of the car.

Pain exploded on your entire right side as the dense metal of the Impala crinkled under the weight of the five ton vehicle. Your head snapped with the momentum of the crash and you felt your right temple smash against the dented frame of your door. You vaguely heard someone shouting your name before it was cut off when the car was knocked into the side bar railing of the road that prevented vehicles from toppling over the steep side of the hill. 

The taste of blood filled your mouth and dizziness overtook you as the pain forced your mind into darkness. 

*****

When you became lucid again it was to open your eye's to a bright light of someone waving a flashlight in your face, pleading with you to ' _Wake up sweetie._ ' and, ' _Are you alright? Can you hear me? Can you move anything?_ ' All you could do was stare at the light that was hurting your eye's and sending massive pulsing migraines through your skull that you couldn't even close your eye's to.

After a moment the light dropped and you could see the face of a blond haired woman in a Sheriff's uniform. Your mind was still battling to stay conscious but you recognized the woman immediately. And from the look of absolute horror she was giving you, the short blond woman remembered you too.

"Oh God." The cop breathed out. "Y/N?!" And her voice hitched. You had no idea what you looked like at that particular moment but judging from the Sheriff's face and the area of pain you felt all across your body you knew you wouldn't be winning any Miss America Beauty Pageants for a while. All you could manage to do after a lot of effort was to let her know you remembered her, and that you in fact, you could barely move a damned thing. You checked a plus on a win that you didn't have amnesia.... yet.

"Mrs. Forbes." You said in a broken and hoarse voice. You could barely whisper as you tasted more blood and felt it drip down your chin. Then, something else struck like a gong in your head and you screamed. " **Dean**!" And your cry was full of pain, blood and worry and the effort racked your entire torso with agony.

Sheriff Forbes was instantly there, shushing you in a soothing voice and telling you to stay still and calm down. "We already got your friend out of the car Y/N. He's a little banged up but he's better off than you are sweetie." She reached in and you felt more than saw her reach across you to tug at the seatbelt digging into your side and across your chest. When it wouldn't unlatch, she pulled back with a worried frown and looked back up at you. "Ju'.... 'ay still. We'll..... out soon. Hey, focus ....... Y/N. Stay with me."

Her voice faded in and out as you tried to stay awake. You thought at one point you could hear Dean's voice yelling and screaming for you. Hollering your name as though to summon you to his side at that very moment. And oh how you wanted to go to him. You wanted to run to him and wrap your arms around his neck and bury your face in his chest. You wanted to tell him over and over that you were alright. But you knew you couldn't. Because you were _not_ alright.

Finally, the darkness beckoned and you no longer had the strength to resist it. You allowed your consciousness to be swallowed up by the calming blackness, but not before catching sight of something large and white on the other side of Sheriff Forbes' hovering body. A sign that was painted with red trim and teal lettering.

As you sank into the void, the words seemed to hum a tune in your mind that lulled you to sleep as your mind faded into oblivion. A very familiar tune.

' _Welcome To Mystic Falls_.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear lord so much ANGST!!!!!! ugh. lol. So..... Any thought's? ^•^


	12. Welcome back to Mystic Falls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM BACK!!!!! I'm also done with all my school crap until the end of next month so I'll have more free time now. I hope this little chapter satisfies yall for a little bit longer. Happy Reading!

*Dean

Everything hurt. God it was agony to even breath. The last thing Dean remembers was the huge headlights of a speeding semi that plowed into the passenger side of his Baby. He roused himself awake by will power alone, feeling the sharp pain in his right leg and across his chest indicating that something in both spots was badly broken. Dean groaned as his head lolled to the right where it laid against the backrest of the front seat. 

When he managed to open his eyes, seeing without seeing after panting desperately for breath, his gaze landed on an unmoving figure in the seat beside him. Second's ticked by where he tried to make sense of the sight, before he remembered that he hadn't been the only one in the car when it got hit.

"Y/N." Deans voice was a shattered whisper as it faltered from lack of breath. He swallowed and the action was like eating sandpaper. "Y/N?" He tried again and this time it was stronger, but you still didn't move. It didn't even look like you were breathing. Panic caused his bruised heart to quicken and beat painfully against his ribcage. "No." His throat tightened and the word came out strangled. Vaguely he heard the sirens of police cars and ambulance's not far away and the screech of tires as the upcoming vehicles parked quickly.

In that time Dean willed his exhausted and battered body to move. Move even just his fucking hand so that he could reach out and touch you. To at least check to see if you still had a pulse. God he was so close to breaking down. Seeing you like this when just minutes before you both had been smiling and laughing. Your hand had been ripped out of his grip when the semi had rammed into your side of the car. But he still couldn't move. His seatbelt was digging painfully into his chest and his right hand was pinned between the belt and his stomach. 

Suddenly, a load noise dragged Dean's attention towards his drivers side door where three men dressed in Firemen's uniforms were cutting open the door to get him out of the car. At first glance Dean was devastated that they were ruining his Baby but then again he was too worried about you to really care at the moment that these men were destroying his car. He just wanted them to get you out of there and tell him whether or not you were still alive.

"Wait." Dean moaned out as he tried to wave them off with his left hand. "Wait, get her." Dean couldn't lift his hand or even shift his neck again to look in your direction once more. His eye's closed as he panted. "Get her." He didn't know the extent of the damage to his own body but there was only one persons pain on his mind.

"Wait." He called out again when the door was finally removed as best as it could be. What was left of it was just the parts that had been completely smashed up against the railing and couldn't be cut away. Dean found the strength to roll his head to the side again as flashlight upon flashlight were beginning to shine on his body, assessing the damage they could see at that moment.

"No." He choked out as they began reaching into the car to cut the seatbelt and attempt to pull him out of the drivers seat. " **No**!" Dean thrashed against their holds on his arms and his clothing, hurting him as they tried to keep him still from hurting _himself_ any further as he was hauled out of the car. Leaving you in the seat where you remained motionless.

"Not me! **Her**! **Save her**!" He wasn't above begging to try to get the paramedics and the policemen holding him to abandon his ass and rescue you instead. All his pain was forgotten as he kicked out of the cops hold on his legs and tried to put pressure on his injured left leg to try and walk back towards you. He instantly collapsed to the ground and took two paramedics down with him. 

"Sir, you have to stay still." One of the paramedics, a women with bottle red hair and a pale narrow face, said sternly. Dean ignored her. "Not me, save her!" He repeated again, a sob nearly choking him as he tried to see over the ruined road railing and the cut up drivers side door of the Impala to see you. Someone was shinning a light at you, presumably at your face as the light went back and forth, trying to get you to wake up. Dean's heart was just about ready to rip itself out of his chest when he heard the most beautiful and gut wrenching sound ever. The agonized cry you let out as you yelled his name and let him know you were still alive.

Relief was instantaneous. You were alive! You could speak and tears sprang into the older Winchester's eyes as he breathed in deep and ragged breaths. The state in which his family had never once, seen before. "Y/N!" He bellowed back at you. A small way of letting you avoid the deadly feeling he had just went through. Letting you know that he was still there with you. 

The paramedics grabbed Dean by the shoulders and hoisted him up again, shifting him so that no pressure was on his leg as they carried him away with his front facing towards the sky. With all the blood coating Dean's ruined shirt and the amount of pain he was in every time he breathed made it clear that he had a few broken ribs, but since he definitely _could_ still breathe fine and, evidently yell, it was clear that he didn't suffer from a collapsed or punctured lung. A win in Dean's book.

As they carried Dean over the railing again and to the open doors of the ambulance parked on the road he twisted in their holds enough to call out towards the passenger side of the Impala. The short, blond haired cop looked over her shoulder at him but for barely a second before Dean saw your head shift slightly in the back window. All he could think about was you. If you were alright, and why these idiots were separating the two of you. 

"No, stop!" Dean thrashed around in their grips again, trying to make them halt in their attempt to take him anywhere he couldn't see you. "Y/N! I won't leave her! Let me go, Y/N!" He reached his hand out in your direction as though he could magically grab a hold of you from across the yawning distance. It was getting to be too much to bear not being able to go to you.

"Sir, we're doing everything we can for her." The same red headed paramedic said as she brought out one of the gurney's for the men to lay Dean down on. "But you have to be transported to the hospital _now_. Your leg is bleeding heavily and all the adrenaline rushing through you is making the blood leave your body faster.." "You listen to me!" Dean snarled, almost animalistic at this point as a wild and feral light caused his pupils to blow out wide in his eye's. The paramedic took a step back from him, eyeing him wearily.

"You're not taking me anywhere unless **she** is in the bed next to me!" Dean snapped as he jabbed his index finger on his right hand to the second gurney still inside the back of the ambulance. "Get her out and lay her there, I or swear I will find the fucking strength to throw my ass out of this fucking vehicle and **crawl** all the way back here if I have to!" Everyone just gave him a weary look but Dean never once broke his steady, hardened gaze from the red head.

After another moment like that, she swallowed hard and her resolve wavered as she nodded and motioned for the others to move back so she could push _his_ gurney into the ambulance, and pull the one meant for you, out. Dean relaxed but only slightly. They were going to bring you to him but that meant that he'd finally get a full look at the damage to your body. God he just needed you to be ok. Dean waited in worry and repressed panic for them to bring you to him.

As he waited, the red head came over and hooked him up to an I.V. and wrapped a temporary tourniquet around his broken leg. About ten minutes later, the same group of men that had carried Dean to the ambulance now carried you on a stretcher and set you down to lay on the open gurney. They quickly moved back as the red head and another male paramedic shoved the gurney inside and the man ran around the side of the ambulance while the girl hopped into the back with both you and Dean and shut the door.

As soon as the doors closed and the paramedic sat in the space beside your gurney the ambulance's sirens went off and the vehicle lurched forward to start the drive to the hospital. As you both were driven down the road towards the town you had seen from on top of the cliff, Dean was finally able to see the extent of the damage you had sustained in the crash. Once he did though, he instantly felt a knife twist in his gut and the urge to throw up hit him intensely.

Blood covered the majority of your body. So much Dean couldn't tell if you were still bleeding or if your wounds had already stopped. Multiple lacerations blanketed your beautiful skin, marring the complexion of your right cheek, neck and forehead. Your right eye was black and your lips was busted badly, still dripping blood slowly from the angle where your once plush lips met. You had a puncture wound, most likely from a fast moving shard of glass, near your collarbone to the left.

The jacket Dean had let you wear was pulled away from your torso to reveal the cuts on your left arm and a deep gash that was still heavily bleeding along your ribcage. From the dip in your left leg Dean knew was _not_ a normal part of your anatomy, it was obvious that it was broken in at least two places along the shinbone. All of this made Dean sick to his stomach and furious at no logical reason all at the same time. He felt dizzy from his own pain and most likely from the concussion he knew he had but also from the anger at knowing that you were so badly hurt. From where he was laying, Dean could almost swear that you were dead.

"Y/N?!" Dean tried to speak as loud as he could but seeing you like this had made his heart jump into his throat and try to strangle him for not protecting you. You didn't respond. Didn't even flutter an eyelid or stir a hand beside your body. Your eyes were closed. If not for all the blood and the wounds all over your face and body, anyone might have just thought that you were sleeping. And after a crash this bad, that was in _no_ way a good sign.

Dean had told you that you were his but he hadn't actually given you the 'Girlfriend' label. Everything he hadn't yet told you was now running through his head. If you never woke up, how much would be left unsaid? No, he couldn't afford to think like that. He had to believe that you would be ok. That you would wake up. He had to believe that. He had to..... ' _Oh God, please! Cas!!!!!_ ' Dean screamed in his head, desperately pushing away at the black shadows encircling his vision now. ' _Cas, please buddy, I need you. I need you **right now**! **Please**_!' But Cas didn't appear. Dean had been up against Wendigo's, Demi God's, Demons, Angels, Movie flick Monsters and things that nightmares are made of. But even his greatest fear of Hellhounds had never made him feel the type of terror that he felt now. Cas wasn't answering and you weren't responding while he was tied down to a gurney where he couldn't even reach out a hand to touch you or check your pulse. **This** was a whole new level of fear and a completely new version of nightmare. It was a completely different form of Hell. 

"Y/N?" Dean called again and his voice was so broken it sounded more like a wail than a human voice. "You stay with me, you hear? Don't you dare leave me, do you hear me Y/N?! You promised me!" Tears sprang into Dean's eyes again as he tried to move his hand out from beneath the straps towards you but found that his right shoulder had been dislocated during the crash. He could barely move it. Barely any further than a few inches to the side let alone up and over the straps. "Dammit Y/N, I'm so sorry." Dean whispered and more tears flooded his eyes to stream down his face. Dean barely noticed the red headed paramedic staring at him. He couldn't care less about her right now. All he could do was bang his head backwards into the pillow beneath it and curse himself for letting this happen. If you were awake he knew that you would be telling him he wasn't to blame and to stop acting like an idiot by trying to hurt himself. But that was the problem. You _weren't_ awake, and Dean was free to blame himself all he wanted.

It was a ten minute drive into the town and parking in front of the hospitals Emergency Care entrance. Once the doors to the ambulance swung open, everything went by in a blur. Nurses dragged both the gurney's out of the ambulance and rushed you and Dean inside into the I.C.U. with one doctor running beside Dean's bed and two more keeping up with yours. They checked Dean's vitals but he instantly saw the ones with you had pulled out a blue instrument that they placed over your nose and mouth and squeezed in order to help you breath. That did absolutely nothing to help Dean's rapidly beating heart.

Then, your gurney suddenly veered off to the left into an open O.R. with two nurses holding the doors open and waving the doctors in hurriedly. When you passed through the doors and they instantly shut when the nurses let go of them, Dean's ingrained reaction was to struggle to get free. To ignore his own aching body and blurry vision and follow you to make sure that you would be protected. That the doctors would do everything humanly possible to try and save you. But the adrenaline he had earlier had died down during the ride to the hospital and what he had left wasn't enough to block out his own pain anymore. Not to mention the large amount of blood he had lost in the crash and on the ride to the hospital had left him unimaginably weak.

The blackness of Dean's vision was starting to creep faster towards the center as it ate up his vision and replaced it with a soothing darkness. The doctors suddenly turned to the right which brought Dean through another set of double doors which lead to a second O.R. But just as his doctor was about to put him under anesthesia, Dean blacked out. The last thing to cross his mind was the sound of your voice calling his name, right before the crash.

*****

*Dean

When Dean woke up again it took him a moment to remember where he was. When it hit him, he expected the normal ache, pain and grogginess that came with a trip to a real hospital instead of the home remedy hangover. But instead, he felt amazing. Refreshed and rejuvenated, even. Like he hadn't just been in a car crash similar to the one that put him in a coma all those years ago. Back when his dad was still alive.

Dean's mind came back to him quickly and he instantly sat up in his bed, mentally noting that his ribs didn't hurt nor did his dislocated arm or broken leg. His eyes darted everywhere around the room in search of one person and when his gaze finally settled on the still form in the other corner of the room, his heart plummeted to drop past his stomach and into the dark void again.

Your body was hooked up to a ventilator and a heartrate monitor. A breathing tube had been stuck down your throat to help you breath but it only served to cause fat tears to well up in Dean's eyes again. He refused to blink so they simply fell heavily from his bottom eyelids as he stared at your still and bandaged form. Seeing you so hurt and vulnerable felt so wrong in so many ways. Seeing a machine breathing for you ripped Dean apart on the inside.

"Y/N." Dean breathed out painfully. Just as he was about to get up from the bed and walk over to you, a string of angry and hysteric voices sounded from outside in the hallway. Dean took one last look at you before cursing and dropping back into the bed under the covers to play at being asleep again. And again, he noticed that nothing that _should_ be hurting, was actually hurting. He didn't get a chance to analyze that fact much before the voices got closer and a hell of a lot clearer. ".... give a _shit_ what anyone has to say right now Dr. So move out of my God damn way!" A livid and masculine voice ground out from the other side of the door.

Dean heard someone being shoved roughly and then the door to your room was suddenly thrown open. Three pairs of feet stepped inside. When they abruptly stopped, Dean twitched at the sound of a man gasping before one pair of feather light steps moved again to put the person directly next to your bed. Dean could hear and interoperate where the people were in the room but he didn't dare open his eyes.

"She's healing." The livid voice from earlier stated. This time in a low and almost shocked monotone. Then a soft female voice rang out, startling the silence of the room. "Yes." She breathed out sharply and a bit irritated. "As soon as she was brought in and we got her out of surgery I recognized the blood type and the description in her files. I came in soon after with a type-V blood bag." The sound of dainty, shuffling feet sounded as Dean presumed the doctor went over to check on your monitors. "Her wounds were extensive. She could have died if I hadn't..." "I get it Doc, thanks." The man's voice echoed, almost hollow in tone before he took a deep breath.

"What happened to her?" The male voice asked, his tone echoed with pain. "Where did you even find her?" The sound of the hospital blanket rustling echoed in Dean's ears, and he had an overwhelming need to get up and knock the guy who had his hands on you off his feet. But he swallowed the urge and stayed in his bed.

Another voice spoke up this time. Another woman's voice. "Car crash right outside of town by the sign." The woman's voice rang with authority. "A semi took the curve going down the hill too fast and swung out when her vehicle was heading up. It hit the passenger side head on and..." A hitch in the woman's voice was the only indication of the sob she tried to hide. "Y/N got the worst of it."

The squeak of rubber soles on the polished white floor resonated in the empty space of the quiet room as the man's voice rang out. " _Passenger_?! _Who the hell was she with_?!" The guy's voice was hard and deeply accusing. The amount of venom in the questions made Dean's heart drop into his stomach like a stone thrown into the river.

"This guy." The first woman's voice piped up and the dainty sound of her footsteps walking over to Dean's bed was loud in his ears as he tried hard not to tense up or show that he was awake. "He's currently a John Doe considering that every ID Liz found in his wallet had a completely different last name. The most we can guess and be sure of is that his first name is ' _Dean_ '."

The other woman's voice sounded at the opposite end of the room. "My department took the car to the impound lot." She sighed and Dean could only guess that she was the Sheriff of the town. "I figured that since Y/N was in the car with this guy and _her_ four ID's didn't have the same last names either, I didn't want anyone to check the car." Dean heard the woman sigh heavily again before continuing. "Apparently I made the right call because when we got that Junker back to the Impound Lot I checked out the trunk by myself, and I gotta tell you Damon, there's no doubt this guy is a Hunter. If the arsenal I found in a hidden compartment there is any consolation."

' _Damon_?' Dean thought and suddenly his mind was in panic. Your ex was the one who had barged into the room and was now hovering at your bed. Dean felt his stomach do a summersault in his abdomen as he tried desperately to keep his face from contorting. This was so not the way an ex should see someone who left them. Damon was supposed to see you happy and moved on, the way Dean had originally planned for you to see Damon when he planned this whole little escapade to Mystic Falls. To say Dean felt like he had royally fucked up on that plan was by far the worst understatement of the century.

But what the hell were these people talking about? You were healing? How? And what the fuck was ' _Type-V_ ' blood? This whole situation was making Dean itch to wrap his hand around his favorite gun. Dean had been pretty damn positive that the last time he had seen you up close showed that you were close to Death's door. No way a fucking blood transfusion would have fixed your broken bones and whatever internal damage Dean knew you must have sustained. So what the hell were they talking about?!

Dean was torn in his need to open his eyes and see you and the knowledge that a move like that would be _very_ stupid right now. Nevertheless, it made his heartrate quicken which he had to wrestle with in order to keep the damned monitors from beeping and raising the alarm that he was fully awake. Instead, Dean just listened to your ex as he began to speak again. Though nothing he said was anything good. Especially about Dean.

"Hunter?" The male voice, Damon, mused over the word. "So, he's like Y/N then. How she was before she was with me." Dean heard Damon snort heavily before continuing. "No, not like Y/N. This guy couldn't even avoid a big ass semi coming at him. What kind of bullshit-ass Hunter is he?" Dean ignored the hateful jabs Damon had thrown at Dean in order to focus on the rest of his sentence. You had told Dean back on the hill that Damon was special and that he had known you were a Hunter. But still, hearing it from this guys smooth ass voice didn't exactly put butterflies in Dean's stomach. He didn't like that he had to share a part of who you were that was meant for those who hunt all the creeps and crawls in the darkness. Dean had felt special that he had been able to stay in your life because he shared such a huge part of who you were. Because he grew up the same way as you. Apparently, Dean wasn't the only one who realized they had a huge problem with sharing you.

Damon snapped in an instant. "If he was in the driver's seat then why didn't he try to avoid the damn truck?!" Damon's voice was more of a growl now and it reminded Dean of a very pissed off mountain lion he and Sam had come across during a hike to find a Wolf Den in the woods in Colorado one summer. All his senses jumped and his breathing hitched. "Why wasn't he fucking paying attention?! And.... Why is **he** already healed?!"

There was no sound of footsteps. No indication that Damon had even moved in Dean's direction. Just a gentle brush of air against Dean's uncovered arms before not-so-gentle hands roughly gripped the front of his hospital gown and hauled him up into a sitting position. Damon's hands fisted the thin green material that had replaced Dean's soft black cotton shirt, and yanked him closer until there faces were only inches apart.

When Dean's eyes flew open and he focused on the face of the very livid man in front of him, his breath seemed to freeze in his lungs as he took in the sight. Jet black hair fell in spikes into burning ice-white eyes that held more hate and fury than Dean had ever thought would be humanly possible to obtain. Dean prided himself in being a man of few fears but in this instance, he had to admit to himself that Damon, your ex, scared the fuck out of him. The guy looked like he was ready to rip Dean's throat out with his teeth! And by the way he was panting and glancing down every other second at Dean's neck, that's exactly what he thought the pale skinned man would do. His next words only seemed to put more reality into the suspicion.

" **This is all your fault, you son of a bitch**!" Dean felt like he should struggle. At least attempt at getting out of Damon's grip but he couldn't. All he could do was stare. Caught in the dangerous trance like a deer in headlights or a mouse staring into a cobra's eyes right before the inevitable killing blow. Either way, Dean knew he wasn't moving on his own while those eyes stayed glued to him. The only thought Dean had at that moment was, ' _This_ , was the guy that you were so broken up about leaving?'

*****

Reality slowly began to trickle back into clarity as you began to rouse from your deep, coma-like sleep. What had happened right before you passed out was slowly starting to come back to you. But once it did, your eyes flew open. You took a huge intake of breath and instantly began gaging on the plastic tube stuffed down your airway.

" **This is all your fault, you son of a bitch**!" A dreadfully familiar voice yelled in the cold and sterile smelling room and you instantly tried to turn your stiff neck to the side to see where the owner of it was. Your own heartrate was threatening to spike at the very thought of meeting that gorgeous blue gaze again. Then, you saw him. You saw the lean outline of his beautiful body and the dark mass of his feather black hair as he stood with his back to you. The light that came down from the stuttering white bulbs in the ceiling gave his entire body a type of glow. A beauty that would have taken your breath away if the damn tube still stuck in your throat wasn't doing a good enough job of that already.

You noticed he was leaning over the edge of the bed against the other side of the room. That made you curious so you tried to move your head enough to where you could see around him. To see why he wasn't at _your_ bedside. When he shifted slightly, you saw that his long and strong fingers were fisted hatefully in someone's hospital gown. That was confusing because Damon wasn't like that. Not all the while he had been yours had he ever picked a fight with someone who couldn't hold their own against him. You ripped your gaze away from his gorgeous and pale hands to focus on the face of the man Damon was holding,..... and your heart nearly stopped.

Damon was holding **Dean** by the front of his hospital gown and when your eye's looked up and saw Damon shift closer to Deans face with his own.... Damon. Was. **Livid**. Damon's eyes were dangerously feral and the only time you had ever seem them so close to shifting was when Klaus had nearly killed you all those years ago upon your first meeting with the Original. Seeing him like that, and seeing Dean held strongly in his grip made panic rise as bile in your throat as the heart monitor began to blare its alarm. You forgot that the tube was in your mouth and gagged around the plastic as you tried to cry out for Damon to stop. It only added to your panic as your body instantly felt as if it was choking.

"Y/N!" Sheriff Forbes exclaimed, and her hands where suddenly on you. Pushing you back down into the bed as you thrashed around on it, unable to catch your breath with the damn tube still crammed down your airway. "Y/N, calm down." A new voice reached your ears and this one you recognized just as quickly as you had Damon's and Sheriff Forbes'. Dr. Fell made her way into your line of sight as her hands joined Sheriff Forbes in holding you down. "I'll pull the tube out but I don't want to collapse your lung again. You have to stay still." Meredith said. Her voice full of that well practiced calm that you had envied from the moment you had met her.

She had been top surgeon here in Mystic Falls when you left and you doubted that any of that had changed. She had been a great friend to you and her boyfriend Alaric had been Damon's best friend. All the memories of when you all double dated came back and the warmth soothed you enough to calm down and allow her to extract the tube from your throat.

As soon as she took it out you shot up to a sitting position in your bed and pressed a hand against your throat as you began to cough and gag from your sensitive windpipe. "Y/N?" You heard your name being called by two different voices to your right and suddenly remembered that you weren't alone. You hung your head down on your hand for a moment, feigning trying to catch your breath as your mind began to work rapidly for a solution. Nothing came up.

You took a deep breath and turned when Meredith pressed a warm hand against your bare leg. She smiled reassuringly at you, her dark brown eyes soft a supportive, and though you appreciated the gesture, it did nothing to stop your rapid heartbeat. Meredith had unplugged the machine so that no one would be alerted and come barging in, but you could feel every pulse behind your eyes and you were positive that Damon could hear it. Even with the others around.

You breathed out slowly before nodding for her to step aside. When she did, you met emerald green eyes first. Seeing them wide and bright calmed you a little. You took deeper breaths in an effort to keep the composure of a seasoned Hunter in front of him. Being in the same room with your ex and your.... whatever Dean was, should not make you feel like a fish out of water. Yet the only thought that was running through your mind at the moment was just how hard this moment was actually going to be. For you. For them. It was more than someone just waking up after a car crash could be expected to bear.

Your coughing had ceased and now the attention of two men you had never thought of at the same time was on you completely with varying degrees of surprise. Damon's eyes held that same fountain of love you had always seen in them when your gazes caught each other. The ice-white color was now slowly bleeding to a bright yet shadowed cobalt blue. Darker emotions danced in his gaze as well, but the connection you both had made all those years ago was still there. Damaged, but alive.

But Dean's eyes held something else. Both something more and less at the same time. You didn't know what it was, but it made your heart skip a beat. Dean was in the middle of a very intense reunion between your ex and yourself. The lighthearted play that you had enjoyed with Dean when you had both been on top of the hill was still very fresh in your mind as old memories of the play you had enjoyed with Damon echoed beneath Deans laughing face and gleaming eyes. This was never supposed to happen. Your heart felt like it was tearing apart inside of your chest. Just the two of their images in your mind at the same time had been enough to make you feel sick to your stomach.

Now that they were both physically in the same room, _your_ hospital room, together in front of you, it sparked absolute horror in your very soul. Your first love, a strong and old vampire. Your second love, one of the greatest Hunters you had ever seen. Your gaze dropped down to look at the hand Damon still had curled in Dean's hospital gown and noticed that one of Dean's hands was wrapped around Damon's wrist. A fresh wave of panic washed over you as the thought that at any moment Dean could notice the chill of Damon's skin sank in and you instantly swung your tired legs over the side of the bed. Ignoring the quick warnings of both Sheriff Forbes and Dr. Fell as you tried to push yourself off of the bed.

"Y/N," Sheriff Forbes came up and put her hand on your arm to hold you steady instead. "Take it easy, sweetheart." Her voice suddenly dropped low as she came closer to you. "You're still healing. It's gonna take you some time before everything is feeling better." She whispered the words carefully into your ear. Undoubtedly for Dean's benefit of ignorance. That was another issue. How in the hell were you going to be able to come up with a story for how you both had to be carried out of a car crash with a semi and the very next day **you both** were as fresh as the moment you got into the car back in Lebanon? ' _Fuck_!' You looked down at your body then. All the bruising had already faded to nothing but as you watched you saw the cuts along your legs, hands and arms begin to seal up.

Already the broken arm you knew you had sustained when you blacked out felt fine. Not a fracture at all. Your left leg too was completely fixed. You looked down again and moved the ugly hospital gown to the side in order to look at the compresses that were taped against the left side of your ribcage. You reached up and ripped it off quickly in time to see what was left of the horrible looking, jagged gash over the bones close up. ' _Shit_!' You shouted in your mind as you reached towards the inside of your right elbow where the blood bag was hooked into the needle in your vein.

You dropped the hem of the gown and pushed the rest of the way off of the bed as you pulled the needle out in one swift tug, ignoring everyone's paranoid gasps as you quickly pressed down on the spot the needle had just been in. After a few moments Meredith moved your hand away to press the cotton ball and gauze she had gotten for you directly over the wound. Your body was a little sore, but that was nothing major you had to worry about right now. Instead, you accepted help from Sheriff Forbes and Dr. Fell to walk across the room on shaky legs in order to stand in front of a dumbfounded Dean and a disgruntled Damon.

You looked up at Damon as he dropped Dean's gown and walked closer to you with slow movements. Like he was afraid that you would bolt from the room at any moment. You just took a second or two to analyze his front. Of course, he hadn't aged a day. To be this close to the last sense of home you had maintained for more than a few month's made your breath hitch as you stared at Damon's perfect features. To have him so close to a part of your new life though was nothing but heart wrenching. From your peripheral vision you saw Dean squint as his gaze bounced from you to Damon and back. Just as you were about to move towards him instead, Damon's hand came up and cupped your cheek.

You inhaled sharply as the cool touch seeped into your skin and a flashback suddenly displayed vividly in your mind. The memory of every time Damon had ever touched you that way. The steady gaze he would send into your eyes as he told you he loved you. Small, quick snippets of time where he would reach out to sooth you on a bad day. Rubbing his thumb pad back and forth across your cheek in order to smooth out the lines of anger or worry etched into the skin there. Reminders of the Hunter lifestyle you had left behind.

Nearly each time had ended with him kissing you in either one way or another. Sweet and gentle. Comforting. Or rough and passionate. Desperate to make you focus on something other than your worries. Sensual kisses that sparked a torrent of love in your heart. Kisses full of adoration. Kisses that made you melt inside or some that stole your breath away. Needy kisses that jump started hot sex or random and happy kisses that he would give you just because he felt like it. Just because he could. You were _his_ back then, anyways.

His kisses had been promises. Every time you found your lips pressed together the meaning behind them was always that he would stay with you. That you would always find love there, for as long as you were his.

But, even with his hands on you again, you hadn't forgotten that Dean was in the same room. And he was still watching you, shuffling in his bed to sit up straight behind Damon in order to both see you better and glare angrily and hurtfully at the hand still cupping your cheek. You hastily pulled away, leaving Damon standing there with the same look of pain in his eyes that he had adorned when first you tried to leave.

A life with Damon wasn't possible. It wasn't for you anymore. You ripped out your heart to leave and protect Damon and the rest of your friends that all lived here in Mystic Falls. It had taken you years to start forming the beginnings of a _new_ heart and as soon as you had finally started getting a handle on your sadness, you had found Dean. Your brand new heart held no scars and you had been willing to give Dean a space within it to mark and scar as he saw fit. You had chosen Dean's kisses. Dean's arms to sleep in, and even as the pull of three years worth of memories you had with Damon flashed through your mind, you accepted and cherished the fact that you had chosen Dean.

You moved around Damon in order to go to Dean's side and placed your hands on his arm that held his own I.V., though the blood bag was empty and already unhooked from the tube stuck in his hand. The gasp you heard behind you stabbed deep into your heart like a blade made of ice, leaving you both cold and bleeding. You flinched slightly before you had the chance to control it and Dean's gaze shot up from where he watched your hands on his arm to look into your eyes with concern. You lowered your head before he could catch your stare, and just reached out your other hand to signal for Dr. Fell to hand you another strip of gauze and a cotton ball.

You wrapped the gauze around his hand as you pulled the needle out of his warm skin. Such a contrast to the feel of Damon's skin against yours just a few moments ago but you shoved that thought away angrily. Dean was who you had chosen to be with now. Even with Damon so close that all you had to do was reach out behind you and you would brush your fingers against his pressed black button down, facts remained the same. Damon was your first love but Dean was the one you cared about now. You knew you were steadily falling for Dean. The possibilities of your relationship together were beautiful. You weren't ready to let it fall apart. Not yet. But you felt torn all the same.

You could still feel the old throbbing of pain that came with the knowledge of abandoning Damon while he had been unconscious still pulsing through your vein's. Pulsing through your new heart. But even with that and the fact that you physically couldn't look either one of the two gorgeous men in the eye's at the moment, you chose Dean.

Even though you didn't know who you were trying to convince of that at the moment, your mind, your heart, or any of the other people in the whole fucking room, the fact of the matter was that you chose Dean. Even if it was slowly starting to kill you inside like it had the first year after you left Damon to turn him away again, facts were simple.

**You. Chose. Dean.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So....... Dean and Damon seemed to have gotten off to a pretty rough start huh? hahaha, haha, hehe, heh..... umm..... Ch. 13 will be up soon. Thanks for all yall's patience. But I promise I wont abandon this story. It'll just be a little delayed.


	13. We all have our weak spots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me express right now that this chapter had to be broken up. I also apologize for the delay in posting it. I had been on a huge roll just writing it and making it so badass and wonderful for all of you..... and then my computer did one of those system reboot thingy's and I lost EVERYTHING. I had to take a day to calm down. No joke. I cried. I had like, six to eight straight hours of writing and editing on there and forget to save it all so it got wiped. I had to start over. This is as close to the first time as I could get it. I'm not particularly happy with it because I know what I wrote before was better, but I hope its still awesome to you guy's. Any way's, enough rambling. Happy reading everyone.

You hadn't moved from where you stood in front of Dean checking over him. He tried hard to get you to look at him but you refused. Your mind was racing with the amount of stress you were suddenly being crushed under. Life had a twisted sense of humor. What kind of supreme being would condone such irony? You left Mystic Falls to prevent Hunters from finding this wonderful place, and instead some in-a-hurry semi driver throws both you and a very well known Hunter back in it. ' _Fuck_.' You sighed. This could only spell pain and disaster.

"Y/N?" Damon's voice echoed sadly behind you and your whole body tensed up at the very sound. Dean caught your reaction, and he pulled you closer to his bed with his other hand that wasn't being crushed in your death grip. He walked you closer until you stood in the space between his spread legs and he leaned his forehead against your bowed head. That one action managed to both rip Damon's heart out and fill it with rage all at the same time.

Damon reached over and placed a hand on your shoulder to turn you around to face him. The hold was gentle. Loving even. But he made it a point that he wasn't just going to let you ignore him like he wasn't there. "Y/N please." Damon pleaded as you pointedly kept your head down. "Look at me." He begged and that was the oh-so perfect time when Dean decided to wrap his arm around your middle and pull you backwards to lean into his chest. Pulling you out of Damon's hold at the same time you had finally looked up to meet his shadowed blue eyes. "You ok Y/N?" Dean murmured the question in your ear as he leaned forward to lay his chin over your shoulder. The tension in your body was so tight now that you wondered at any second when the very image of yourself might shatter.

"Hey, back off of her!" Damon growled and you were suddenly tugged gently but quickly into his own arms as he pushed Dean away from you. You vaguely saw Sheriff Forbes and Dr. Fell move to the side of either man to prepare to either pull you out of the way or attempt to restrain them both, which, to be honest, was going to be impossible for them to do. That instantly snapped you out of the emotionally torn stupor you had been in as Dean got up from his seat on the bed and began taking heavy steps towards you and Damon. 

You squirmed out of Damon's grip and flew backwards, slamming into Dean's chest and placing a restraining hand over both of their hearts as they attempted to collide angrily. Dean continued to press sternly against your back and the warm grip he placed over your hand was possessive and meant for Damon to see clearly. You turned to throw a disapproving glance at him which he didn't even look down to see. The cool, gentle hold that encircled your hand pressed to Damon's front however, made you freeze for a moment before swinging around and staring wide eyed at Damon's emotion bare face.

Damon's whole body had gone from tense as stone to soft as cotton under your touch in an instant. The coolness of his hand on yours wasn't cold in the slightest. Simply a little cooler than normal human temperature. Your eyes locked onto the hand he was using to keep yours against his chest, spying the Salvatore signet ring there on his marriage finger. You didn't realize that a smile had split your lips at the very sight. 

The memory of when he had supposedly lost it all those years ago and couldn't go out in the light at all for a week made you breath deep as a small laugh threatened to escape you. Damon had pretended to have lost his ring so that you would stay home and spend time with him after a particularly bad argument you both had. His way of getting you to stay in one place so that he could apologize the way Damon Salvatore did. It had been a sweet memory and one you had been very fond of. You both had been so happy back then.

"Y/N?" Damon asked again and his voice brought you out of your memories as well as wiped the smile from your lips as your gaze jerked up to look into his sad eyes. You noticed your hand was still on his chest and his hand still covered it gently. You became acutely aware of Dean behind you at that moment. He had tensed up under your hand again and now you curled your fingers into the fabric of his hospital gown and gently nudged him backwards as he pulled you closer to his body with an arm wrapped around your middle. You looked up into Damon's pain filled blue eyes as your hand was tugged out of his hold. "Sorry." You murmured softly but Damon only shook his head. 

"No, don't be." His voice was soft and husky. Just the sound of it sparked old memories to surface and you could feel the affection move its way onto your face. "But do tell me this," The serene look you had felt grace your face for only seconds instantly wiped itself away as his tone became ragged and grief torn. "Why did you run away?" Damon asked and his tone and expression hardened noticeably. "The last thing I remember is talking with you, begging you not to leave. Then that can flew in through the window and I was coughing and then, nothing..." He attempted to reach out towards you but Dean took that moment to wrap his arm tighter around you middle and lean his chin over your left shoulder, staring Damon down until he dropped his hand. "I woke up on the floor of my house surrounded by broken glass and you were just... _gone_." His voice was barely a whisper, full of torment, and anger. The accusation there buried under layers of other emotions but still plainly visible... To you at least.

You tried desperately to keep the pain from your face as you looked into his eyes. And to make matters worse, you had become as ridged as stone in Dean's hold when Damon had spoken. The subtle brushing of Dean's lips back and forth across your back where the ugly hospital gown had slipped from your shoulder blades was neither welcomed at the moment nor appreciated. You knew he was only trying to comfort you, but the display that this was giving Damon had you fighting back the urge to turn and glare at him. Damon was now drawn to the motion of Dean's swaying figure behind you and his eyes darkened with rage. 

Your gut felt like it was twisting into knots over previous knots. This was _not_ how you had ever pictured your reunion with Damon to be. You had prepared yourself with the knowledge that one day you might be given the chance to reconnect with Damon. But this had not been what you had pictured when you dreamed of seeing the tall, pale skinned beauty of a man again. Although, on the other hand, you were glad that the plan to get him to hate you had worked. Even if it ripped up your heart to see just how much it _had_ worked. You pulled your shoulder forward out of the Hunters' reach as you took a deep breath and summoned the rest of your courage to harden your resolve. "You know why I left Damon." You answered lowly and allowed a hint of annoyance to leak into your tone.

You leaned even closer to him without moving your feet. "It was for the same reason I had given you the day I first left." Your voice cracked and tightened up at the end of the sentence. You instantly berated yourself. Speaking to Damon again should not be able to make you feel so vulnerable. So lost. It physically hurt just being this close to him and not being able to curl up in his arms the way you wanted to. Instead, you were curled in Dean's. Your mind was whirling in irrational emotions. Damon stood in front of you and Dean stood behind you. This was never supposed to happen.

"After being attacked in your own home, one would think you'd finally began to understand why I had to leave." You tried to speak again and thanked whatever powers that be that your voice managed not to shake. The look in Damon's eyes said that he was ready to forgive you and more than ready to love you again. That wasn't something you could give him now. Not while you stood with Dean wrapping you in his arms. So in order to break your bond, you were going to have to break his heart. Again.

"Was almost dying more of a turn on instead of a wake-up call for you Damon? I was always curious if you were more of a masochist than you originally lead me to believe." The sentence had enough venom to rival a cobra and you were both proud and ashamed of the fact that your voice managed to stay solid. Then you steadily watched the change of Damon's eyes from dark blue to a barely restrained electric teal. " **THAT'S BULLSHIT AND YOU KNOW IT Y/N**!" Damon, roared in anger and suddenly, you were being spun behind Dean's body as Damon stepped towards you while Dean intercepted him. 

"Move out of the way." Damon warned in a low and dark voice. Dean only took another step up in Damon's face as he sneered in his own low voice. "Not gonna happen pal." He shot back and Damon moved to reach around him but Dean shoved him back hard as one hand moved back to push you further against the bed behind the both of you. Damon only moved one step back before reaching up and slapping Dean's hand away roughly. Dean hissed in pain before the hand pushing you further behind himself balled into a fist and came up, pulled back behind his right ear, ready to be thrown forward into a strong punch to Damon's face.

As a warning cry escaped you where you tried to reach for Dean's fist before it launched forward, you heard Meredith gasp and Liz took one step in Damon's direction before Damon's hand came up with lightning speed and wrapped around Dean's fist. Stopping the forward motion dead in its tracks with incredible strength. Panic burst forth in your chest as you lunged forward to latch onto Damon's shirt sleeve in and attempt to make him let go of Dean. He barely paid you any attention. Instead he dropped Dean's fist and grasped handfuls of the hospital gown to pull the Hunter closer. Damon's face was practically shoved into the older Winchester's own as he glared deeply into Dean's eyes.

Panic ripped through your spine as you realized what he was about to do as you tried to pull Damon away from Dean by your grip still on his arm. "Damon don't you dare..." "Go sit on your bed and don't you dare move for ten minutes, pretty boy." Damon sneered into Dean's face, his pupils enlarging slightly to the size of a small bead. Your gaze never left Damon's. Even as the larger Hunter turned slowly to move to obey the Compelled command. It was the same look he had use to give the men who tried to flirt with you back when you worked at the Mystic Grill. Damon had never liked seeing other men's' attention on you let alone the slow drag of their hands when they past their money for drinks into your hand. Seeing Dean act the way he had with you must have bothered him as much if not more than it had you.

But that was no excuse for what he had just done. Compelling Dean was going to lead to more problems than just and ex meeting your current... lover? You had never told Dean that Damon was a Vampire. "Damon, what are you..." Damon seemed hell-bent on ignoring everything you had to say at the moment as he suddenly stepped forward and scooped you up into his arms, curling you inwards towards his chest before turning and speeding from the room at human speed. "Damon!" "Hey, wait!" "Stop!" The voices of your three companions still standing in the room chased after you as Damon stepped into the hallway and took off down the corridor at top vamp-speed. 

You only opened your eyes when the motion stopped and the 'click' of a door closing resonated in the small space of a storage closet. You hadn't even noticed that you closed your eyes at that moment until you looked up at Damon who was staring back at you with dark blue eyes. Your eyebrows scrunched together in annoyance as you realized he had literally just bridal style carried you to another section of the hospital so that your inevitable conversation would not be overheard. You pushed at his chest and he slowly let you back down onto your own feet. 

You took a step back, as far as the small closet would allow, and glared at him. "Damon, what the hell?" You ground out but Damon just glared back at you. "Who was that little _brat_ in there that thinks he can just hang all over you like that Y/N?" Damon growled and took that same step closer, leaving you trapped between lean vampire muscle and shelves piled with boxes of new gloves and fresh needles. "I know about the arsenal he had in the trunk of that Junker you two were driving in. He's a Hunter isn't he?" Damon was pissed and though he was taking heavy breaths every few seconds, the fact that his eyes began to bleed as his veins popped out around his eye sockets made it apparent that he had quite a lot to say and you were going to listen to every bit of it. "Y/N, your little _friend_ almost got you **killed**!" 

At that your stare hardened like diamond. None of this was Dean's fault. You didn't almost die because of Dean. It was a freak accident. If it hadn't had happened you and he would be on the road right now heading back to the Bunker in Lebanon. Or better yet, you'd be curled up in some dusky motel room after a night of really hot and kinky sex, spooning with the gorgeous Hunter and waking up to him kissing you. 

You would not be in a hospital, and..... and you wouldn't be talking to Damon right now. That last thought hurt deep in your chest but it was true. You had tried to let Damon go but when you couldn't forget him, you buried the memory of him. Not the best solution in the world, for exactly this reason. If you never move on, the feelings never die. And right now, it was very apparent that your feelings haven't changed. Damon was still Damon, and a part of you always remembered what it was like to have him and to be his.

But right now, with him spewing venom at Dean whilst he was not there to defend himself set your teeth on edge with Damon's attitude. It was frustrating dealing with Damon when he was like this. Before, you would both get into heated arguments that neither of you would back down from. Only getting closer and closer into each others faces before someone would crack and kiss the other so hard and so deep that the debate would be forgotten and things would quickly end up in the bedroom with a much different atmosphere. Touches would become smooth and gentle. Angry words would become sweet and endearing, and at the end of amazing sex you would both hold each other and apologize profusely to the other for being ' _thickheaded_ '. Arguments had been far and few between but when you both got riled up, it was a very frightening experience to those who witnessed it from the outside. 

Here, at this moment, you couldn't afford to get into an argument with Damon the way you used to. Damon was still your ex, and Dean was more than likely looking for you at this very moment. Dammit why did this have to happen? Dean and Damon did not belong in the same world, at the same place, at the same time. God seemed to have one twisted sense of humor to be throwing this dilemma at you with no way out whatsoever. You reached up and ran the fingers of your dominant hand through your long hair, thoroughly frustrated and uncomfortable with talking to Damon about your new Hunter ' _Friend_ ', as he called him. You took a moment to figure out where you should start to address all the things wrong with Damon's sentence. You found it a bit difficult in choosing a specific point, so you decided to just 'dive in'.

"First off," You began, racking your brain quickly. "He is _not_ a _brat_ , Damon. He's actually older than you." You quipped and Damon huffed exasperatedly. "Physically, but if you want to get technical, I'm at least four times older than your pretty boy, Y/N." He shot back hotly with an over emphasized eye roll to match. "He's not a pretty boy either!" You growled, jumping to Dean's defense a little too quickly. "Don't be an ass Damon, you don't know anything about him." You pointed out and Damon scoffed. His eyes starting to blanch back to ice chips before you quickly looked away. "And the Impala is not a _Junker_ either. It's an awesome car that rivals even your Camaro on its worse day." 

Okay, maybe that was a bit of a stretch 'cause right now its worse day entailed being caved into itself from being hit dead on by a fucking semi, but still, the Impala was Dean's sense of 'Home away from Home'. You weren't going to let anyone talk bad about Baby. Not even Damon. It would be like letting someone say that Bastian was a Junker, and that was **so** not fucking true. You'd most likely be dropping bodies if they dared say something so blasphemous. It was no different with Dean's Baby.

Damon was quiet for a moment after you said that though. Opting to just stare at you through squinted eyes instead. Analyzing you the way he used to when he knew you where either lying, or not telling the whole truth. You began to squirm under the intensity of his gaze before he suddenly reached up slowly to cup your left cheek in his right hand, and raise your face so that you had to meet his critical stare. When both of your gazes locked, he began to speak again. "Who is this guy to you Y/N?" He asked and you tensed so hard you wondered at what point your spine was going to snap. Your lack of answer made Damon wince slightly and it hurt to see him do it. 

"Are you dating him?" Damon's tone was constricted and sounded like his vocal cords where being scrapped by sandpaper with how rough it came out. You couldn't answer him with words, but your silence and the way your eyes moved to the side slightly gave away the truth. You saw Damon blink hard out of your peripheral vision and when he spoke again, it was in a broken tone that brought back memories of when he had thought you had died. Being unable to move and having lost enough blood where you barely had a pulse meant all you could do was watch as he wept over your body that he had wrapped in his arms. It had been hours before Stephan had found him and notice that you weren't dead. The memory caused a shiver to roll down your spine as you watched the weight of this knowledge begin to crush Damon under its weight.

"Are you hunting again Y/N?" He asked, this time his eyes dropped down to the floor and his voice was hardly audible. If it wasn't for the small radius of the room and the quiet within it, you were very positive that you would not have heard the question. Unfortunately, that also meant that the silence that greeted his last question was also undeniably loud. You had nothing to say because confirming it would help nothing and hurt worse for him to hear your voice say the words. 

He shook his head slowly and you saw the soft tresses of his raven hair bounce slightly as he did so. "You promised me you wouldn't hunt again." He reminded you and your heart stopped. "You said that you would leave the Hunter life behind. How could you even _think_ of..." "What else was I supposed to do Damon?" You cut in softly, making his head snap up so that he could look you in the eyes as you continued to speak. "When I left Mystic Falls, it was to keep everyone safe. But the only life I could possibly live outside of this place was a Hunters life. I don't know anything else, and if it wasn't for you I'd have never known what having a normal life would have been like." You huffed softly through your quiet murmuring. "As normal as having you for a boyfriend and other supernatural creatures as friends could give me." You looked away, unable to meet his gaze.

"I don't understand how you could criticize me for reverting back to the only other way I knew how to survive." You took a deep breath. "I don't understand how you cold be mad at me for that." " **I'm mad at you because I loved you**!" Damon snapped out in a suddenly harsh tone, startling you to look into his eyes again as he fumed and his eyes bled completely red. He moved to cup the other cheek and hold you still in his room temperature hands. His eyes bore into yours as he continued to stare down at you. 

"I'm mad at you because I looked for you for years. **Years** , Y/N!" Damon emphasized as he pressed his body closer to yours, pinning you against the supply racks and his cool, lean torso. "And I could never find you. I'm mad at you because after everything that happened, I tried to move on anyways and it only fucked me up more by trying to forget about you." That part made your eyes widen. He tried to forget and couldn't so he just pushed everything down the way you had. "I'm mad at you because no matter how much it killed me, I forced myself to believe that you didn't love me enough to even wait until I was conscious to leave me. And now, I'm mad at you because you show up out of nowhere, and it takes a car crash that almost kills you for you to come back into town. It takes you almost dying for me to see you again!" At this point, tears were starting to streak down his face and your insides start to churn and wail at the very sight of Damon so broken.

"I'm mad, because here you are after five fucking years, and you're with some other guy, a pretty boy Hunter at that, and you were more scared of me hurting him than you were happy to see me again." He leaned down then to push his forehead gently against yours. "That's why I'm mad at you Y/N." He clarified in a small voice. Silent tears streaming down his face and landing on both your cheeks and down onto the gown covering your chest.

It tore your heart to shreds. Of course this is how everything looked to Damon. Of course this is how he would feel. He had been your first love. You had even told him as much during all the years you had been together. You had given everything to him. Almost every secret you ever had, you told him about. You had given him your first heart, in exchange for unrivaled rights to his love. In exchange to having him, you belonged to him. ' _It's always belonged to you..._.' The old nightmare echoed in your head again as your own tears began to slide down your face. Funny, you had spent so much time trying to fight them off with Dean but with Damon, the emotion and act itself was effortless.

But things change. It's inevitable. Certain event's happen in time and they throw plans, relationships and life out the window. That, sadly, is exactly what happened between you and Damon. The only difference is that you might have eventually had the chance to come back to this life. Far along the line but, still possible. Now it might not ever be again. You had also had the option of staying and facing the Hunters that would eventually come after you. But you hadn't shared Damon's confidence that everything would be fine if you did.

You stared at him through blurry vision as more and more hot tears tracked silently down your face. He licked his lips quickly before he took another breath and spoke again. "And yet, after all of that," He whispered sorrowfully. "I **still** love you." It was the only warning you got before his lips descended upon yours, capturing your mouth in a tormented, desperate need to fill the gapping hole you had left in his un-beating yet still broken heart.

At first, you did nothing. The shock of his actions having been enough to wipe all matter of rational thought from your mind. Then came the struggle of reality and want as you grunted in your efforts to make him stop. You tried to push him away. Away because this was wrong. You were currently in another relationship. Your.... whatever Dean was... was more than likely tearing the hospital apart looking for you at this very moment! But shoving at Damon's chest only seemed to spur him on as he reached around your body and encircled your entire torso in his strong arm's. Deepening the kiss further between the both of you even as you tried to fight against it. 

But the want and desire you had felt for Damon all those years ago was now raging like a ravenous beast who has been starving for eon's. The tightness in your chest finally bursting to let it free and the first thing it felt was Damon's lips now devouring yours. His tongue delving into the furthest reaches of your mouth, and it responded the way it was made to. Your beast was love, and Damon knew exactly how to tame it. Your hands stopped shoving at his lean chest and instead you wrapped your fingers into the material of his shirt and yanked him closer, crushing your lips harder together and using enough force to bruise. The inevitability of this moment had just been building up from the moment Damon had said your name back in that hospital room and it was absolutely exhilarating and relieving to finally let it all go. Love was a wild animal, and if you didn't tame it, it could very easily tear you apart.

Damon moved one hand up to wrap a bit tightly into your hair to hold you in place or move your angle slightly in order to fit your mouth's together better. Oh how you had missed this. The hot and heavy, 'Zero-to-Sixty' pattern that was Damon. He had been your first. In almost _everything_. 

Damon had been the one to teach you that there was more to life than just one job after another. He showed you how to loosen up and enjoy what there was around you. To take a little bit of the piece you would give to others by chasing downs shadows every day of the year. He had been your first, adulthood, best friend. Your first legitimate relationship that lasted longer than a month or two. Hell, he was even your first dance partner. .... You had been kind of a tight ass back in the day. Didn't really know how to have fun. But he had been capable of giving you a life outside of hunting. A life that had been full of love and support instead of constant, day to day death and misery. If it wasn't the monsters dying, it had been your friends. Living in Mystic Falls had changed all of that.

There had been a time where your day could only be made if you came home to see Damon smiling. Watching his eyes bleed that special shade of cobalt blue that he only ever used for you. You remembered waking up curled in Damon's arms after a hard day at work or a really bad nightmare that dredged up memories of your family. You remembered how safe you felt on those nights. At first, it had been Damon. Perhaps it was true what some people said. ' _You never forget your first_.'

Damon's hand slipped from your hair to join the other one currently placed at your hip. He pulled away from the kiss and you were panting now, trying to regain your breath at the same time instinct caused you to chase after his beautifully plush and kiss-bruised lips. The whites of his eyes were now completely red and his pupils were enormously dilated but with lust, not with hunger. His lips were pulled back almost like a snarl to flash sharp canines at you before he growled in the deepest and most heated voice you had ever heard from him. "Wrap around me." He ordered but before you could think better of the command and shake your head 'no', Damon clamped his fingers tight enough around your hips to lift you straight up, turn lightly, and pin your body against the wall of the storage room before nestling his body in between your spread thighs. 

"Damon, stop!" You gasped as shock tugged you slightly towards reality. "What are you.." Damon crushed his lips to yours again, stealing your breath and your mind all at the same time. You groaned deeply into the ravenous frenzy of his teeth and tongue as they manipulated your thought's with his talent. Your hands reached up and gripped both sides of his head, sliding your fingers into the dark tresses to hold him in place as you battled him for control over the kiss. Your legs, now burning with heat, wrapped around Damon's trimmed waist without further instruction and your feet pressed into his firm ass muscles to nudge him closer into the spot that really started to notice who was pinning you up against a wall in a hospital storage room.

But again, this was wrong. 'So... _ahh_.. so wrong.' Dean. Dean. Dean. What about Dean? ' _What_ **about** _Dean_?' A quiet voice in the back of your head murmured as you moaned into Damon's mouth as he suddenly pulled away from your kiss to mouth along your jawbone and down to your neck, making his fangs be known as he scraped them gently along the pulse point in your throat. You tried to shake it off. Tried to remember everything that Dean had done within the last almost three month's you had known him.

Dean who tried to pick you up at a musky old bar in Hell's Armpit New Orleans, then saved you from a gang of rogue Hunters when they attacked you in the parking lot behind that same bar. Dean, who trusted your word over what he had seen in that parking lot. Dean who trusted you to hunt alongside him and his brother, and live in Bobby's home with him. Dean who didn't allow you to do anything on your own after that Wendigo hunt had left you bruised and battered for weeks. 

Damon wrapped his hands behind your back and pulled you off the wall enough so that his hands could slip under the hem of your hospital gown and run smoothly along the bare skin he found, causing a shiver and a breathy shutter to escape you. God, what were you thinking about? Oh yeah,.. Dean! ' _Unh_.' Remember Dean! Dean, the one who would wake you from your nightmares and hold you until you fell asleep again. Dean who would still curl up with you even though he heard you call out for someone else in your sleep. Dean who had slowly began to chip away at the heavy walls you had built around your heart until it all came tumbling down. Dean who you had just started to become intimate with. ' _Fuck, why is this so goddamn hard_!' You bellowed in your mind as a shiver of pleasure racked up your spine as Damon rolled his hips a bit roughly into yours. 

It was absolute torture. Dean, or Damon. Damon, your beloved who you were forced to give up. Dean, the man you cared for deeply but didn't even have a name to identify what the hell you were to one another. Neither of you had ever discussed monogamy but the morals you carried prevented you from ever trying to vie for another mans affection when you already had one. You and Dean slept in the same bed together. Had shared secrets you had never told anyone else. That included Damon on your end. 

But on the other hand, Dean had used some secrets you hadn't meant to share against you. Wanting to know who Damon was is one thing, but just finding out where Mystic Falls was from one of your nightmare rants and then bringing you here was completely different. Dean could have asked what it was, just like he had with Damon. Instead he chooses to use the opportunity of retrieving books for Bobby to take you to your old home, to find closure over your past relationship and move on when none of this was his business in the first place.

It absolutely hurt to think about, but the reality was that you were back here because of Dean. The car wreck may have been fate for all you knew at this moment but the fact of the matter was that you were back. Back in Mystic Falls, and currently back in Damon's arms. That didn't mean that you didn't care about Dean. Of course that's not what it meant. There were characteristics of both men that were very prominent in the type of way you spelled your affections for them. Dean for instance, put family above anything else in the world. The same as you did. Dean would rather carry the burden and bear the pain alone if it meant that Sam or Bobby didn't have to. He was a protector. A warrior. A guardian. Dean would be the one to make the sacrifice play and lay down on the wire and let everyone else crawl over him, and his sheer nobility at being so humble made your heart swell in its need to have Dean close to you now. 

But then there was Damon, who at the moment was currently nipping at your collarbone and laving the marks with his tongue. He was hard headed and as stubborn as a mule at times but his heart was pure and his intentions were just. It had been hard to love him at times because he always felt like he didn't deserve happiness. He tried to hurt the ones he loved to push them away. He would sabotage everything that he thought was too good for him. It had happened on occasion when you two had been together. Though you had never let him push you away. When he tried, you would take it upon yourself to shove back at him harder and get your point across that you weren't going anywhere. It seemed that you had a type. Dean couldn't accept that anything good would or could happen to him, and Damon couldn't accept that he deserved anything good that could or would happen to him.

They would never be able to best you in their stupid game of nobility though. You didn't just randomly select someone to love by picking names from a hat. Both of these men deserved love. And it was getting very noticeable just how much you wanted to love them both. 

You had barely began your relationship with Dean, so didn't he deserve his chance? But you had been able to live the dream with Damon. He had gotten you to give up hunting. That was the biggest sacrifice you had ever made. Separating yourself from the life of a Hunter was nearly impossible but Damon had made it possible, while Dean and the Hunters life came hand in hand. You didn't overly enjoy hunting but you had been raised in it since birth. It had always felt like it was what you were meant to do. It was your job. It was also the only way you had found that you could still feel close to your brother.

But Damon had made you happy nonetheless. Had helped you find a different way of remembering Elias without even knowing it. Rock climbing had been your favorite activity to do with your twin and racing up the huge mountains that had surrounded your childhood home had become a deeply cherished game between you both. Damon had started challenging you to climb the cliffs on the outskirts of town every weekend. It both helped lighten your mood on bad days and expelled your anger through physical exertion. You had been with Damon for three years. A steady relationship that had you both saying ' _I love you_ ' within a year and a half of dating. A relationship that lasted almost four years and more than likely longer had you not left. And yet you and Dean had not even put a name to whatever was happening between yourselves.

You had only just started sharing a bed with the man about three weeks ago now, and had already divulged very private and personal secrets to him in an attempt to be closer to him. Secrets in which he had already used against you. You had trusted him with some of the past. Who Damon was. What he meant to you. What he _had_ meant to you. You had even expressed to him that just thinking about Damon made you question your decisions to be with Dean. You went even further in saying that you wanted to stay with _him_. Stay with Sam, Bobby and that very protective old Roti that would sleep with half his body laid across you. You wanted to stay in Sioux Falls at Bobby's house, and now you wanted to go back to Lebanon, to the Bunker, and stay there with the new family that had opened itself up to you. 

And yet no sooner had you chosen to stay with the Winchesters and that grumpy old Bear had Dean decided to bring you here. Back to Mystic Falls. Had you just picked up the books and gone back home none of this would have happened. The car crash, the hospital, meeting Damon again and even what Damon was doing to you now. And all because Dean wanted what? Closure? You had explicitly warned Dean about this. Seeing Damon again had thrown quite a few heavy wrenches into the barely budding feelings you had for Dean and that seemed to piss you off more than the actual act itself had done. 

This just proved how right you were on that subject. You felt Damon sink his teeth, ' _not his fangs_ ', into your bottom lip and draw back slightly before sucking the whole thing into his mouth and soothing the slight sting with his cool, slick tongue. It caused you to moan loudly in the small space before you had a chance to cage it in your throat. Damon chuckled low and deep as he let your lip go before closing the distance to kiss you again a little more gently. 

"I've missed you so much, Y/N." Damon groan as his lips went back to brushing across your throat and tonguing up the vein he found on either side of your neck. "So goddamn much it's unreal." His voice and the constant touches he graced your body with caused you to shiver in his grasp as goosebumps rose all along your neck and arms. "Trying to forget you made me do a lot of stupid things but in the end, I couldn't." He licked his way into your mouth again and you felt his talented tongue swipe teasingly against the roof of your mouth before speaking against your lips so that you felt every pronunciation of each letter. "I just couldn't baby. It was killing me. It was tearing me apart." And you felt tears roll down his face again as they landed on your chin and chest to run down your skin. Marking you in the salt of his sorrow. 

As you stood there, wrapped in Damon's strong and familiar arms again, breathing in the smell of pine needles and rainy days, relishing the lingering taste of Devil's Cut whiskey in your mouth, you pondered his words with what little rationality you still had left. You formed your words around your panting mouth as you began, "What... what do you mean?" You gasped in a breath when Damon pressed his hips a bit harder into yours and made one quick thrusting motion upwards. Your eyes had fallen shut again but fluttered rapidly at the sudden jolt of pleasure. You gritted your teeth and tried again to speak. "What bad things..." Before you could finish your sentence, your eyes snapped open and Damon froze at the sound of the closet door being thrown open. 

You looked on in horror as a very furious Dean stood in the doorway. Looking, ready to kill, at the sight of you in Damon's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have a question for all of you. Some people I know read this and told me I should give Damon a voice too, like I did for Dean, but I don't know. I don't want everyone swapping between you and two other people and getting everyone confused but some people said they would like to hear him too since this story is partially his too. IDK. What do ya'll think?


	14. A supernatural Homecoming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO. MUCH. EDITING!!!! It's currently 3:25 AM so good night everyone!..... Good morning?..... I don't know, I'm just tired so I'm hittin' the sack. Bye guys! Happy Reading.

You stopped breathing. You had never seen Dean so livid. And worst of all it wasn't even directed at you. It was solely focused on Damon. "Y/N?" Damon's voice whispered softly next to your ear where his head was still tucked against your neck. You didn't move. Didn't even speak. Instead, you made very small noises and breathed out in varied volumes in order to ask and answer the questions. 

"Huh..?" You breathed softly against his hair. "I need you to knee me." It was _extremely_ difficult to keep a straight face at that requests. "Huuuh?" This time your breath came out faster, almost like a hiss. "I can't change back." He explained in a rushed whisper. "I guarantee you haven't told your boy toy what I am, so I need you to knee me before he see's my... _attributes_." He gently scraped his fangs over your throat again for emphasis. You bit the inside of your mouth to stop the gasp from escaping. "Cause a scene, and do it. Now!" He whispered as he made it look like he was groping you. 

As Dean looked up to catch your eye, you sucked in a deep breath and dropped the leg furthest away from Dean and kicked out the other one to make it look like you were struggling before bringing your knee up quickly to jam into Damon's groin. Grunting, "Get off of me Damon!" as you followed the motion with shoving his head away from where it still lay nestled in the crook of your neck. He yelled out in pain and quickly dropped your body, as gently as he could, for you to land on your feet. He fell to his knees on the floor and you quickly moved to pull the hospital gown that had ridden up back down to cover the tops of your legs.

Dean suddenly reached in, over Damon's slumped form and gripped your arm gently before tugging you around him and out of the small room. "Ugh, damn!" Damon huffed again and you winced slightly from where you stood behind Dean. You felt guilty. In fact, you even felt a little dirty. You weren't the type of person to do something like this. You didn't cheat. Not ever. It didn't stand in your moral bounds. Yet all Damon had to do was pin you to a wall and grind against you like a horny teenager for you to forget all about that. The old shadow's of the memories you had made with him over almost four years of your relationship had been enough for your body to crave Damon in a way that you shouldn't. God, that was so **stupid**! Barely ten minutes alone with the guy and you're dry humping in a fucking hospital storage closet. ' _Shit_!'

All you could do was hang your head in shame. And as if you didn't feel bad enough... "That'll teach you to come anywhere near my girlfriend, _pal_." Dean spoke in a hard voice directly to Damon's huddled form on the ground. "Take the hint, buddy. She's moved on, and she doesn't need her **ex** coming onto her in a fucking storage closet. You got me?" That only caused Damon to laugh lowly as he uncupped his family jewels and slowly, humanly, stood up and turned to face Dean full on. His eyes were back to normal and his fangs were no longer there as he glared coldly at Dean. "Yeah, say's the uppity Hunter who almost got her killed." Dean flinched back and almost smashed into you as he backed up. The blow had been double sided. It felt like a punch in your own gut as you heard Damon blame Dean so cruelly for a freak accident.

"Y/N was mine long before you ever knew her name, _Dean_." Damon remarked with an angry sneer on his face. "She may have settled for a kid like you but she knows what its like to have a _Real Man_ in her bed." Dean's hands clenched into fists and you gasped at Damon's words. "Damon!" You chastised. "What did you say?" Dean asked darkly and you quickly grabbed onto his hospital gown. Damon smirked arrogantly. "You heard me _kid_." He chuckled and you threw him another glare over Dean's shoulder. The fire that had been in your gut just moments before had completely dissipated now. 

Dean tensed up under your hands as he leaned forward slightly. " **Kid**?" Dean growled angrily. "And what do you mean a _Real Man_?" Dean inquired, a loathsome tone to his words. "I'm more of a man than you will _ever_ be! I'm definitely enough to satisfy Y/N on a nightly bases." You yanked on Dean's arm them, causing him to stumble back and away from the door. "Dean!" You gasped out angrily. Really? That shit was private. No one needed to know that. Especially not Damon! You looked over towards the dark haired vampire and saw his eyes go that special shade of feral blue. "You _fucked_ my girlfriend?!" Damon yelled and you were suddenly very aware of the shadow of eyes all around you. You turned your head slightly and saw three nurses and a few doctors and other staff members staring at the scene the two men were making in the small hallway. 

" **I'm gonna kill you, you fucking little brat**!!!" Damon almost roared and you moved to get in front of Dean just as Damon lunged and you managed to catch him in the shoulder with a heavy right hook that you were positive broke a few knuckles again. You shook out the hand and ignored the pain as you threw your elbow back to knock into Dean's ribs as he pushed forward to try to get at Damon. He pulled back with an arm slung around his torso and coughed harshly for a few seconds before looking back up at you. "Babe," He coughed again. "What was that for?" "Yeah?" Damon piped up from behind you and you turned suddenly to see him rubbing at the spot where you had hit him. A sad looking, surprised mask covered his features as he caught your eye. 

You were ready to knock both of their heads together with how dense they were being. "You both are going to stop fighting right the fuck now!" You hissed, looking back and forth between the both of them. "You are in a hospital. Act right, for the love of God! You are both acting like you're fucking high school jocks and I swear to God that if either of you mention how much better you are for me again, I will dropkick _both_ your asses into next week!" You promised angrily. "Do you understand me?!" You hissed while looking back and forth between both men. They both took a moment to stare at you before glancing at each other. When they started getting those glaring masks back you prompted, "Do you understand?!" They jerked their gazes away from each other, looking in completely opposite directions as they both nodded stiffly and grumbled an ' _Ok_ ' under their breaths.

You sighed in frustration. The men you had explicit and intimate sex with were throwing tantrums like two year olds. ' _Heaven help me, this is gonna be a long wait after we call Sam and Bobby_.' You thought and dread spread through you suddenly. Oh, Bobby was going to be _pissed_! This was not a situation you could even begin to explain. And then there is the whole, ' _Yeah I got into a car wreck and a semi caved in my side of the car but hey, look, not a scratch on me_!' Yeah, that was gonna be fun to try to explain. There was no pulling the wool over that old bears eyes. ' _Damn_.'

Just as Damon and Dean recovered and stood up fully to either lean against the wall or stand close to you, Dr. Fell and Sheriff Forbes came running up to meet the three of you. A duffel bag was held tightly in Liz's grasp. "Christ, there you all are!" Liz exclaimed as she came to a halt beside Damon who was currently sulking as he leaned against the wall. This was another one of his moods you knew too well. He got like this when he didn't get his way about something. You just shook your head and spoke to Meredith as she came up to check over you, then Dean. "Are you both alright?" She asked as she pressed the stethoscope to your chest and listen for a moment before moving to do the same to Dean. "Are you feeling drowsy of feverish?" She asked, placing the back of her hand to your foreheads. "Any muscle aches or the desire to expel your stomach contents?" She moved her hands up and down your bicep, squeezing gently and watching your face for any reaction to discomfort. 

"Yes. No. No. No and no. Although I do think I'm getting a headache now that you mentioned it Mer." You said as you rubbed your temples slowly. She stared at you with wide eyes for a second before understanding dawned on her face and she nodded. "I'll get you some Advil to take with you. I remember stress used to give you those migraines'." She said with a pointed look at Damon, which made him instantly look ashamed, and at Dean who looked a bit confused as to why she was staring daggers at him. You just nodded as she pulled away from her thorough examination of your body. "Thanks Mer." You said, and a genuine smile graced your lips. "How are you and Alaric doing?" You asked, just trying to make polite conversation until you realized she looked crestfallen and looked away. One glance up at Damon and Liz made you instantly regret asking. Damon looked devastated while Liz kept her sympathetic gaze on Meredith who looked like someone had just kicked her puppy off the front porch. ' _What the hell did I miss_?' You thought, and just as you were about to apologize, Meredith straightened up and quickly changed the subject.

"Liz brought you some clothes she got from the trunk of your car." She informed stiffly, familiar demeanor now completely gone to be replaced by 'Professional MD Dr. Meredith Fell.' It was unsettling. "If you would please follow Sheriff Forbes back to your room Y/N, you can change into your clothes and then you may sign yourselves out to leave. If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work." She said in a monotone as she pushed past you and Dean to walk down the hallway. Leaving you all to look after her bouncing brown curls as she disappeared into the stream of bustling staff and patients.

"What the hell just happened?" You asked. "Did they break up? I didn't mean to..." "Rick is dead." Damon informed in the same tone Meredith had just used. You froze for a second, eyes wide as you tried to grasp what he was saying. "What?" You asked, bewildered. "How? What happened?!" Emotion choked you suddenly and it felt like an elephant was standing on your chest. Damon looked at you then, and it was like you could see the shape his spirit was in. For a moment, Damon looked like a withered old man who had been to hell and back. ' _What the fuck happened_?' You thought as horror suddenly swamped your senses. ' _What the fuck did I miss while I was gone_?' Damon seemed to read your thought's then as an emotionless smile crept onto his face. "Welcome home Y/N." Was all he said.

*****

You quickly changed into the clothes that Liz had brought you and Dean in the duffel bag. Dean was quiet up until you pulled your grey shirt down and turned abruptly to find him standing only a foot behind you. You leaned back against the bed and stared at his chest. "Y/N." He murmured and walked closer until your knee's knocked together and he reached out to settle both hands over your jean covered hips. He breathed a heavy sigh through his nose before he stooped down a bit to catch your gaze. When your eyes met, he spoke. "We need to talk." 

God you never realized how much weight that phrase could actually carry. Damon had never used it and neither had you but you had heard Alaric and Meredith use it from time to time. Even Elena and Stephan had used it, but it always felt too grave when it rolled out of yours or Damon's mouth. The both of you having serious personalities already would have just made it worse. But Dean wasn't going to let this go. So you mentally strapped yourself into the proverbial crazy train and prepared for the ride.

"Ok." You murmured out with a sigh. "What do you want to know?" Dean looked at you through narrowed eyes as he spoke. "You promise to tell me everything I want to know and not bolt when I ask anything you're uncomfortable with?" He asked and raised an eyebrow slightly. You took a deep breath and sighed. "We'll just have to see how it goes." A bad attempt at humor managed to get a small smirk from Dean before his expression turned stoic. He sighed heavily and shook his head before gazing into your eyes again. "Alright." He said, reaching up to move a stray strand of hair out of your face and behind your ear. Cupping your cheek as he asked his question. "First off, what happened back there in the closet? I know what I saw, Y/N, but I need to know what your side is." He said, rubbing his thumb up and down your cheek.

You automatically felt sick. Shame wormed its way into your gut as you looked away from his intense emerald eyes. You took a moment to gather your courage and began slowly. "He, asked me who you were." You began, skirting a few choice words Damon had used. "Asked if you and I were and item and then he... " You hesitated, slightly choking around your words for a moment before clearing it and continuing. "He asked if I was hunting again." Your gaze dropped again as a shiver ran up your spine at the memory of the look Damon had given you. It was eerie. Downright haunting. You hated that look. 

"Hey." Dean said, squeezing your hips slightly in his hold to draw your attention back up. Once it was, he leaned his forehead gently against yours and stared at you sincerely. "I'm guessing giving it up had been a big deal in your relationship?" He mused and you nodded slowly. "He knew how much I hated it back then. When we started dating, we both agreed that there wasn't a need to remain a Hunter if I was going to stay here in Mystic Falls. I can't say that I missed it all that much." You licked your lips. You decided that telling Dean the truth about Damon wouldn't exactly be beneficial in any way so instead you just left that bit of information unsaid. ' _Best not to stir the pot any more than it already is_.' Dean only nodded as you continued. "He didn't really like my answer and he... we..... I.... _ugh_ , I'm so sorry Dean!" You squirmed in his hold and tears stung your eyes as you looked away. Dean's hold only tightened on you as he leaned down and kissed the trail of tears off of your cheeks.

His touch was so gentle and his kisses so sweet that you looked up to meet his equally soft and affectionate green eyes. He gave you a slight smile before he continued. "Next question," He asked and his eyes darted all over your body as if he were checking for something before looking back up to stare into your eyes. "How the hell did we walk out of that crash looking as fresh as the moment we drove out of the Bunker?" His voice went deep with suspicion and his eyes turned grave as he continued to stare at you. "I remember what you looked like Y/N. I know that you broke a few bones and you were **covered** in blood." Dean's voice hitched and he had to close his eyes for a long moment to compose himself. When he was breathing regularly again, he continued.

"That Dr. chick, Meredith? She said that we've been out cold for almost two whole days. But when I asked how in the _fuck_ we don't even have a bruise after a wreck like that, she said I needed to ask you. When I asked what Type-V blood was, she clamed up and said I needed to ask you. So I'm asking baby," He squinted slightly as he stared into your eyes intensely, as if he were trying to detect even the slightest hint of a lie. "How are we alright, and what the hell is Type-V blood?" And that was the exact moment where you finally experienced what a 'total mind fuck' actually was. You definitely prided yourself in being a person who could think on your feet at a moments notice but this had never been a situation you had anticipated. You feigned trying to explain the information correctly but instead just tried to bide enough time to come up with something.

You had nothing. "Umm," Just at that moment, Damon burst in and ripped Dean away from you to pin him to the wall and stare deep in his eyes. "Damon No!" You shouted as Dean tried to struggle. "Forget that you were ever curious about the blood or the fact that you and Y/N are completely healed. Forget that we had this conversation. Forget about asking anymore questions about the crash. Alright Dean?" Damon compelled into Dean and the larger Hunter nodded slightly as he relaxed against the wall. Damon turned to you with a quick wink before he disappeared. Your mouth was hanging open as you stared at the space he had occupied only a few moments ago. "What?" Dean asked suddenly and you shook yourself, realizing that you had been staring at Dean that whole time as well. 

"Um, nothing. Just... I'm happy. That you're alright." You stammered torn between anger at Damon, and slight gratitude. You felt the blush rise in your cheeks as you tripped over your own words. Dean's response was just to let a warm and bright smile spread across his face as he pushed away from the wall and went over to wrap you up in his arms tightly. "I'm happy that you're alright too, baby. " Dean said gently into your hair as he leaned down to kiss the top of your head softly. "You have no idea how it felt to see you the way you were when they first pulled you out of the car." A shiver rolled through him and in turn racked through you. "It scared the hell out of me Y/N. I thought I was gonna lose you." And the fear in his voice was genuine and sorrowful. You reached up and wrapped your arms around his broad chest to lock your fingers directly over his spine as you pressed him closer to you. 

"Sheriff said that our phones were smashed up in the crash so I need to make a call as soon as possible to Sam and Bobby." Dean murmured, changing the subject abruptly to avoid the chick flick moment rising between you both. "No doubt they have no idea what happened to us." He ran his hands up and down your back as he pressed you flush against himself. Your breath suddenly hitched as the material of your clothing caught against each other and the buttons of both your jeans snagged slightly on one another. You both froze for a moment before you spoke again. 

"Uh, yeah. Guess they'll be, pretty worried." You murmured against his chest and he pulled back suddenly to look down at you. When your eyes locked, his head tilted slightly to one side as he studied your gaze. "Yeah. I'm thinking they will be too." The air around your bodies suddenly changed. Got heavier. Electrified. Your breathing began to pick up in pace, as did Dean's as he leaned down more and pulled your face up by the grasp he now had on your left cheek. The kiss sparked the low running heat just beneath your skin and just like that, the inferno erupted. Dean crushed his mouth to yours and your tongue delved into the warm wetness of his mouth as Dean reached down to cup both ass cheeks in his hands and squeeze firmly. 

An obscene moan escaped your throat and you kissed Dean back with fervor. God it felt good to be this close to Dean again. You could only imagine how touch and go it had been for you there for a while. Dean's tense body was a testament to just how out of his mind with worry he had been, and that somehow made this intimate moment between you both that much hotter. That much more desperate to get into each others pants that you didn't notice that Liz had entered the room until she cleared her throat, unnecessarily loud. Dean's hands dropped instantly from where they had been kneading your ass and pulled completely away from you at the same moment you had tried to jump up and lock your legs around Dean's waist. You both fell tumbling to the floor in an embarrassing display of flailing limbs and shouted curses.

"Oh, _come_ **ON**!" Dean muttered, frustrated as your pelvis ground down roughly against his already stiff shaft. You bit your lip to hold in the moan that had no place in this situation anymore. Instead, you carefully scrambled out off of Dean, being careful where you placed your knees as you stood and brushed your clean clothing off. You turned to throw a baleful glare over your shoulder at a smirking Sheriff Forbes as you leaned down and offered a helping hand to Dean. "You never learned how to knock, huh Liz?" You chastised as Dean gripped your hand tightly and you pulled him to his feet. 

The short haired blond chuckled softly as she shook her head. "I had Caroline as a daughter for almost twenty two years now Y/N." She came over and placed a gentle hand on your shoulder as she gave you a dashing devanier smile. "It wasn't safe to have locks on the doors so I never had to knock when she was living in my house." The serious tone she applied to a very large aspect of her daughters personality broke the annoyance in your mood and a smile cracked your lips. You both laughed and shared a long overdue, tight hug before she lead both you and Dean out of the room. 

"So do you two have any plans for where you'll stay 'till that car of yours gets fixed Y/N?" Liz asked as she lead you into the hall and down to the waiting room where Damon was sitting perched on the arm of one of the chair, reading a Cosmopolitan magazine. The smile instantly fell from your face as you recalled the earlier conversation. "Are you sure that none of my cards or ID's survived?" You asked again, as if the earlier answer would have changed. Of course, Liz just shook her head. "Your phones were wrecked beyond use in the crash and everything else was either burned or shredded. Those fake ID's could have landed both of you into a heap of trouble Y/N. You're lucky that I got rid of them before anyone else in the department saw them." She gave you a pointed look and you sighed heavily. You had no money, no ID, no car and no place to go.

"These though," She said, handing you a small, squared piece of cloth discretely. "I managed to get out of the car before it was impounded." You checked to make sure no one was looking before pulling the rag back to peer inside the bundle. Your Bowie and both daggers were nestled tightly in the cloth as well as Dean's favorite gun. Relief and happiness washed over you and you pulled the older woman into a firm hug. "Thank you." You whispered before pulling back and rolling the bundle up more securely before handing them to Dean to hide in his waistband beneath his button down. You rubbed your temples then, as the makings of a new headache formed at the points before asking. "Can we bother you for a ride to the bus station in the next town Liz? We have to make a call and at least we can wait and sleep in there 'till..." "You're welcome to stay at the Boarding house, Y/N."

Damon's voice startled you from where he still sat, thoroughly engrossed in some article in the magazine. On the outside, it looked like he was completely indifferent to the casual offer but you knew Damon better. He was both excited and skeptical about making the offer. One because it gave you a chance to go back to the old house you had lived in once, two because this time you would be bringing someone else to share a bed with. 

But you should have expected this from Damon. After so long, you knew it wasn't going to be his first instinct to just let you go on your way. And you knew that whatever distrust or dislike he had for Dean, he wasn't going to let that come between you and a stable place to stay until your problems got sorted out. A flicker of familiar warmth spread through your chest as you smiled at him. But then again, you were not the only one that would have a say in where you were going to stay. Dean immediately objected.

"Fuck no!" He snapped. "We don't need or want your fucking help." Dean stepped closer and pulled you backwards to rest against him. He shot Damon a look that could have frozen over all the damned souls in Hell. Damon though, was utterly unfazed as he sighed and closed his magazine, setting it back down neatly on the waiting room coffee table. When his gaze settled on you and Dean, he looked completely bored before he focused on you. "Is he always so dramatic?" Damon asked with a hefty sigh and a nonchalantly raised eyebrow. You managed to give him a disapproving frown before he looked back at Dean as he rose from his seat.

"Listen man, I'm not exactly giddy to find out that Y/N comes with Hunter baggage again, but I'm not about to leave my girl to the streets just because _you_ are too prideful to accept help from me. I also realize it's not entirely your fault that you fell for my Y/N considering how beautiful, smart and overall amazing she is. So when I say I'm willing to let you stay at my house until your Junker gets fixed up or 'till you can call someone to come get you, trust me, it's not out of the kindness of my heart. It's because she would let you make her sleep on a bus station bench rather than in a bed." Damon explained in a voice as smooth as silk. Somehow that only seemed to make the jagged knives behind the words be even sharper. You even flinched slightly. 

But Dean did not. You turned back towards Dean to try and tell him it was time to stop just as he was answering Damon back. "She ain't yours anymore, _Damon_." he sneered. "She's mine now." He snarled at Damon and tried to walk around you to get into Damon's face. But you managed to throw your hands around his arm and grip him tightly, stopping him in place before he could do so. But that didn't necessarily stop his mouth. "And like I said, we don't need your help."

You tried to push him back a little as he glowered angrily at Damon over the top of your head. "Dean, don't. Please." But then again, Damon never was one to shy away from a challenge. "Say's the guy that almost got Y/N killed and still doesn't know how to just be fucking thankful that **we** saved her." Damon shot back and you turned in time to see his eyes turn that special shade of dark, predatory blue. "Damon, that's enough!" You gritted out, but Dean was already rearing to fight with the man he didn't know was a vampire.

Dean hooked an arm around your waist and spun you behind his body. Once you were out of the way, he lunged at Damon as the raven haired vampire smirked and clenched his fists in anticipation. Dean never managed to land his punch though because suddenly, he was being held firmly against the far wall by a young man with a Destined Hunter's tattoo covering what you could see of his right hand under the opening of the sleeve of the jacket he wore. The movement had been so quick and out of nowhere that it damn near gave you whiplash. 

It took you a moment to register what just happened before a name stuttered from your lips. "Je... Jeremy!" You propelled forward and pried the Gilbert Hunter off of your boyfriend. It felt odd to finally have a name to put to Dean as part of you still wondered what had prompted him to blurt that title out so suddenly. You quickly berated yourself for thinking something so crass at a time like this. You pushed Jeremy away from Dean and stood in front of him as Liz moved to pull Dean further away by his arm. A tense look on covering her face as she did so. You spread your arms out protectively before someone else could attacked again. "Jeremy, stop!" You yelled and everyone in the waiting room, including the receptionist raised their heads to stare with wide eyes at the scene unfolding in front of them. Damon, seeing your distress, decided that then was the time to step in as he quickly jumped behind Jeremy and gripped both of his arms to pin them behind his back.

"Easy there, little Gilbert." Damon calmed as Jeremy struggled in his grip. "Everything is fine." Jeremy went still after another second and his eyes came back into focus as he looked at you instead of Dean. His eyes widened. "Y/N?" He whispered and Damon released him. You stared at each other for a moment longer before you both stepped forward and smashed together in a tight embrace. "It's good to see you too Jer." You confessed and your closed eyes became warm with more tears that didn't spill. Both of your holds got tighter as Jeremy huffed an unbelieving laugh as he buried his face in your shoulder. The boy got _big_.

"We all thought you were dead Y/N. Where the hell did you go?" He asked and the years of wondering where his friend had disappeared to weighed heavily in his voice. You reached up and slid a hand into the short strands of dark brown hair at the base of his neck as you pulled him closer. "I'm sorry Jer. I... I couldn't stay. I didn't have a choice." You murmured and the boy Hunter stiffened in your hold as you felt wetness dampen your shirt at the shoulder. After a beat, he pulled back to look at you as he wiped his eyes. He had gotten so much taller and broader since the last time you had seen him. You had to look up slightly to see his face, though he still wasn't as tall as Damon or Dean. "Maybe you should enlighten all of us." He said as he looked over your head at someone. You turned and saw that Meredith was coming back towards you with a small bag in her hands and.... and Dean's leather jacket draped over her arm! 

You instantly ran over to her and she held out the jacket to you which you snatched from her and turned over in your hands to examine. You felt horrible for being so forceful with your friend but you were in desperate need of having the jacket back. It wasn't yours but it was very precious to Dean. He had told you once that it had been his fathers. You'd be damned if you were just gonna leave it with whoever managed to strip off your bloody clothes. It looked like she had scrubbed the blood out of the soft, worn leather and had even folded it neatly into a square. Once you saw it was alright, you turned and walked over to Dean where Liz was still holding onto his bicep. You presented it to him but he quickly shook his head. "You wear it." He urged. "It's still cold outside and only getting colder." You hesitated for a moment before nodding and slipping the warm jacket over your shoulders. Out of your peripheral vision, you saw Damon glare angrily as he stared at the oversized jacket hanging off your shoulders.

"Take two every six hours." Meredith said, snapping your attention back to her. She handed you the bag with presumably your bottle of Advil and you rolled your eyes. "I know how many Advil to take for a migraine Mer." She smirked and shook her head as she placed a hand on your shoulder. "It was really good to see you again, Y/N. Let me know if you stay in town. I'd love to catch up with you the right way, if you have a chance tomorrow." She smiled slightly and you didn't have the heart to shoot her offer down. You nodded. "I'd like that too Mer. I'll let you know if I stay." She smiled again, this time bigger, and pulled you into a hug before saying goodbye and turning to return to work. You turned back around and noticed Jeremy was still smiling broadly at you. The situation between Dean and Damon was bound to escalate again at some point down the road but with Jeremy here, it gave you something else to focus on. You were grateful for his all too eager character at that moment.

"So you're going to stay at the Boarding house, right Y/N?" He asked as though he couldn't contain himself. "Everyone is going to be so happy to hear that you're back! Although, probably less so after they find out it took a car crash for you to visit." Jer snickered. All of your friends here in Mystic Falls knew about you. You had never tried to hide who you were from them. You appreciated that fact now more than ever. You laughed at his joke and nodded, pulling Dean's jacket tighter over your shoulders before answering. "I'm not sure yet Jer." You mused with a glance at Dean. "I still have to talk to Dean about it." Dean gave you a once over as if he were studying you and you instantly found that you felt insulted. 

Damon sighed as he spoke up. "Y/N, if you're that adamant about it then I can give you a lift to the next town and I'll pay for your rooms for as long as you need them." Damon said, taking the glare Dean shot at him in stride. "But it would be easier and more convenient for you and 'Rambo' here to just come and stay at the Boarding house." Dean turned to glare at Damon then who just crossed his arms and returned the look with a snarky little smirk. "Stephen won't mind, there's plenty of room and like little Gilbert said, everyone is gonna want to see you. It might be a bad idea to go storming off again before the gang gets a chance to talk with you." He hinted at the deeper meaning, knowing there were some secrets he knew you must not have shared with Dean yet. He and Jeremy also shared a look, and you could automatically read that a lot had happened since you had been gone. You could only imagine what, given everything that happened to yourself the past five years.

You nodded and turned to look at Dean again. He was death glaring Damon ominously while Damon himself was smirking impishly. You squinted at the pair in annoyance before sighing and speaking up. "Dean, if nothing else the Boarding house has a phone we can use to call Sam and Bobby and plenty of rooms for us to stay in until they can get here." Dean looked back over at you and shared a long look with you before he grudgingly nodded. "Fine." He ground out. "But only 'till they come to get us." He warned and you clenched your teeth at his tone. "Bobby's going to be so pissed he might actually kill me this time." He said suddenly and the residual annoyance faded before you moved over to him and nudged his elbow with yours until he turned to look at you. "He won't kill you. It wasn't your fault that semi crashed into us." You reached up to run a hand down his arm and rub circles into the muscle of his forearm with your thumb. "As long as the arsenal and the books are still hidden and in tact, he'll just be glad that we're both ok." Dean smiled down at you and moved to bring you into his arms. You nestled close to his chest and looked up, not even thinking, in order to accept the sweet kiss he leaned down to give you. You greedily accepted it and sighed contentedly when it was over.

From behind you, the sound of someone shifting on their feet and snorting uncomfortably registered. Dean glanced up over your head and a small smirk graced his full lips for a moment before he looked back down and kissed you again, this time incorporating tongue and drawing a small moan from you. When he pulled back, you looked back and saw Jeremy looking uncomfortable while Damon was straight up staring at the wall on the other side of the lobby. A squinty scowl marring his perfectly chiseled, pale skinned face. Liz was also swaying back and forth on her feet while staring at the ground as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. It was then that you realized what was starting to happen between the two men as Damon voiced that you all should head to the car and started walking around you and Dean. Anger and annoyance suddenly bubbled up in your gut as Dean hooked his arm around your waist and pulled you closer to himself as you both turned to follow. Liz and Jeremy in tow. They were playing a game of ' **Macho Man** ' with you!

Un-fucking-believable! They were really going to try and do this? They were both acting like teenagers who had a crush on the same girl! '... _On second thought that's kinda true_.' But Dean kissing you a second time just to gage a reaction from Damon deeply bothered you. You weren't there to be the prize at the end of their stupid Sword Fight. You tensed up and stepped away from Dean to walk with Jeremy at the back out to Damon's car. You could already tell that this was going to be a long stay back here in Mystic Falls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes it sure will be. Lol. So, the next chapter will have Damon's POV. Hope you guys will like it.


	15. Settling In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the weight. I wasn't sure how to write this chapter out in the beginning. But I hope you all like it.

*Damon

Damon could not believe it. You were here. You were back. After five fucking years of misery and now you had finally come back to him. Damon was absolutely amazed. But then again there always had to be something to sour the mood. Of all things, it took you getting into a wreck for him to see you and when he finally does, there's another guy with you. Not just any guy either. A Hunter. Damon's stomach churned at the thought that this green eyed _Pretty Boy_ had touched you the way Damon once had. Held you the way he once did. It only made him that much more eager to reconnect with you. And that much more angry that you left.

Damon had turned back to see if you had been following just in time to see you step away from the Hunters hold on you and hang back to walk with Jeremy. Damon couldn't help the small leap his undead heart took upon seeing that happen. The down cast eyes he witnessed for a second also helped to lighten him from his dark musings from earlier. Liz also further delayed him for a moment by putting a hand on his green canvas clad shoulder and turning him to face her. They spoke for a moment before Liz reached into her back pocket and pulled out an old, worn leather wallet before presenting it to him. 

The Hunters eyes widened and he quickly opened it to look inside and pull out a small, creased photo from one of the middle pockets. The look of sadness and relief that flowed over his features confused Damon. What picture could possible make someone so happy and so sad at the same..... Damon remembered the photo he and Stephan had taken the day they moved into the Mystic Falls territory over a hundred years ago. How young and naïve they both had been back then. How happy they were to be brothers. Utterly human. This man more than likely has lost more than enough family and friends to warrant a reaction like that than Damon probably cared to know. God knows Damon knew **you** had lost plenty and you didn't even have a picture of them to look at. He turned away from watching the Hunter to focus on you instead.

When you reached the car Damon smiled down at you. The soft pull of lips that only you could ever coax onto his face felt just as natural as the flicker of ice-white to cobalt in his eyes. He opened the passenger door and reached out, just as naturally, to put his hand gently but insistently at the small of your back and pressed you forward, closer to the open seat. Damon instantly saw hesitation in your eyes. You looked like you wanted to sit up front but he could tell that whatever your boy toy had done to piss you off and the glances you kept throwing at the arm heading behind your back made a certain irritated look cross your beautiful face. One Damon had seen before when he knew you were in a foul mood.

Instantly, you declined and reached over to open the door to the back passengers seat as you moved away from his touch. Damon felt the sting of rejection almost at the same time he felt the anger simmer in his gut from the smirk your Hunter gave him as he moved around the side of the car to slide in right behind you. It surprised them both when you stuck out a hand to stop him from getting in the backseat with you. Instead, you called Jeremy to sit with you in the back, which made the Gilbert Hunter hesitate for a moment before going to the drivers side backseat. An uncomfortable look masking his still slightly boyish features. "You should really ride up front to map the town as we drive through it Dean." You said in a bit of a nuetral voice as if you were talking about the weather. "It'll come in handy when we call Sam and he has to try and find the right roads. Mystic Falls is a big town if you don't know where your going."

Damon stared at you. You hadn't lost the bite to your character that he had found so alluring. Your head suddenly turned and he continued to watch you even when your eyes met his. He traced every inch of your face with his gaze. You hadn't aged at all. Still had those gorgeous (y/c/e) eyes. Still had soft cheekbones and beautiful (y/h/t) (y/h/c) hair that slightly fell into your eyes due to the length. Even down to the plumpness of your amazingly kissable lips. Damon could fantasize about those lips forever. He suddenly felt a heat burning into his face that had nothing to do with the growing arousal he was experiencing, and looked up to see Dean staring poisonously at him. Liz must have left because she was no where to be seen but the Hunter was there, hovering beside your door. He stared back for only a moment before grinning wolfishly at the Hunter. ' _This guy doesn't have a chance_.' Damon mused in his mind. He knew you better than anyone. ' _Y/N settled for you, Hunter. You don't have a prayer of keeping her now that she's home. Where she belongs_.' Damon sent a silent challenge to the slightly taller man and it seemed like he eagerly accepted as he took the wallet Liz had given back to him and looked it over for a moment before leaning down to hand it to you. 

Damon noted that you took one look at it before your eyes widened hilariously huge before glancing up to look at Dean. He smiled back at you. "Can you hold that for me babe? Please?" He asked in a deep, slightly accented voice, Damon noticed. It took you another moment to shake yourself from the trance and slowly nod, holding the wallet gently but closely to your heart before slipping the leather square into the pocket of the jacket you still hadn't taken off. Dean smiled again and moved back to carefully shut your door as Damon simmered from the other side of the passenger door he had opened earlier. Dean kept smiling as he faced Damon and nodded a thank you as he slid into the passenger seat of Damon's precious car. Damon took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself, yet still managed to slam the door with enough force to warrant a glare from you in the back of the car. He would apologize to you later but at the moment Damon was just hoping he managed to hit the smug Hunter with the door. Unfortunately he didn't. 

"Damon?" Jeremy whispered from where he stood by the drivers back seat door. Damon glanced over at the boy Hunter with an exasperated expression while the boy gave him a hard look. "Calm down Damon and back off a bit." He warned and Damon walked around the car and paused right in front of him as he asked. "What the hell are you talking about?" He said in a hushed tone so that no one in the car could hear him. Jeremy glanced at the car before looking Damon dead in his eyes. "Y/N is back Damon. She's back after five years and you're acting like a complete asshole. If you make her leave again Damon; Elena, Bonnie, Caroline, Tyler, none of us will ever forgive you!" He hissed and his leg bumped against the car as he leaned forward. He took a moment to collect himself before sighing. 

"Y/N belonged to all of us when she lived here. She left and apparently she belongs to someone else now too. She moved on, Damon. Don't punish her just because you couldn't, and don't blame this guy just because you're jealous." Jeremy said and Damon blinked at him. What the hell did this bratty little Hunter know about what he went through when you left? He had ran. Left for a year trying to find you and when he came back he hardly came out or spoke to anyone. He left everyone alone, the way he wanted to be left alone. He had done things. Stupid, idiotic and reckless things in order to get over losing you so what right did Jeremy have to lecture Damon about this situation?! Damon was boiling in his skin as he glared at the young Hunter.

After another moment, you popped open your door and stuck your head out over the roof of the car to stare at Damon and Jeremy. "What are you guys doing?" You asked in that same beautiful voice that Damon used to fall asleep listening to in the middle of the night. "Just telling little Gilbert here how unnecessary it was to pin your friend against the wall back there, Y/N." Damon answered quickly, looking at you from over the top of the car. "Nothing major sweetheart. One second." You hesitated for a moment before ducking back and shutting your door. Damon sighed as he turned back to look at Jeremy. He regarded the boy whose stance and glare hadn't changed even by the interruption. "Alright Jeremy. Fine." Damon conceded and gripped the handle of his door. "I understand. I'll lighten up." He said and yanked the door open before slipping into the seat and shutting it. A few seconds later, he heard Jeremy in the back doing the same.

He started up the engine without looking at the older Hunter who was still throwing not too subtle glances his way. Instead he looked in the rearview mirror and caught a glance of you looking out the window, the sunlight framing your face and giving your hair a golden halo. Even the color of your eyes brightened as you faced the sun and scanned the world outside of the car. A nonexistent sigh escaped through his nose before he turned back to the road and put the car in gear, driving his prized 1969 Chevy Camaro down the asphalt and back towards the old Salvatore Boarding house.

*****

"What do you mean the driver wasn't found?" You asked inquisitively. "The guy just plowed a semi into a classic muscle car with a metal body. It's not like the fucking car was a Prius. Where the hell could he have gone?" Damon shook his head as he glanced back and forth between the road and your eyes in the rearview mirror. "Liz said that when she got to the scene she went with her squad to check on the smaller vehicle and its passengers. But when the other officers came to report to her she said that whoever had been driving the damn thing was long gone. And you know that there aren't any cameras on that end of the curve." Damon huffed, obviously upset that whoever had hit yours and Dean's car had gotten away on a hit and run. You sat back in your seat and mulled the information over. It didn't make sense. A wreck like that would have severely injured the driver of the semi as well. Not as badly as you had been, granted, but they still wouldn't have been able to just hop out of the caddy and take off. Especially considering the fifteen minute response time Liz used to brag about for her unit.

You sighed in frustration and turned your head to look out the window at the passing town scenery. And what a wonder it was. ' _Give a place five years and a lot can change_.' You mused wispily. Literally everything had either a new coat of paint or buildings had been replaced or remodeled in some way. You couldn't believe this was still the same little town you had called your home for a short time. Memories that you recalled when you had time to yourself. When you desperately needed the boost in your mood.

You closed your eyes and inwardly sighed before turning back to look at Jeremy texting away on his phone. He looked up after a moment and caught your eye before smiling and putting the phone away. "I just got done sending messages out to all the old gang. Told them all to get to the Boarding house _ASAP_." He puffed out his chest a little proudly and you couldn't help the smile that formed on your lips. "Told them that there was something there that they were going to have to see to believe." The young Gilbert boy smirked as your smile broadened. 

You laughed lightly and you saw Dean look in the rearview at you for a moment before looking back out the window to analyze the roads and way markers. You continued speaking anyways. "Not that I'm not ecstatic to see everyone again after so long Jer but," You began, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear as you continued. "Wouldn't all the girls and Tyler be in college now? Or are they coming home before Thanksgiving?" When you finished you noticed Jeremy's eyes squint a bit before he looked out the window for a second. When he looked back at you, his voice was low and aged. "Five years is a long time Y/N." He stated sadly. "There's a lot that you missed." Your heart sank down into your stomach as hard as a rock as you looked away. A nod was the only acknowledgement you gave. 

Damon pulled into the old circular driveway of the Boarding house about five minutes later. Just as smoothly as he did the first day he brought you here. He even gave you a moment to take in the sheer beauty of the place before he parked the Blue jean colored car. Flashbacks filtered into your mind as you looked out the car window at the large Victorian style house. It was just as gorgeous as the days you had slept in it. You had first stepped foot in it about a week after you and Damon had officially started dating. You both had met up at the Mystic Grill and had gotten completely smashed. You had prided yourself in being able to drink Damon under the table but instantly regretted showing off when you had gotten sick. 

It had been a balmy summer night and the heady scents of pine needles and strong alcohol had made you feel a good type of lightheaded. It was on that night that Damon had confessed to you what he really was. It had shocked you enough into sobriety to make you weary of Damon. You stayed away from him for almost three days before he came to find you at work. He hadn't allowed you to leave and he refused to leave himself until you listened to him. He explained what he was in greater depth and he even showed you that he fed purely on donated blood. Alaric Saltzman had been a Slayer of Vampires yet he even caught you at the bar one day to vouch for Damon. That he wasn't the same as the vampires you had hunted before. It took a while, but you had finally decided to give Damon a chance. You had already started falling for the older Salvatore when you had decided to stay in Mystic Falls. You didn't want to believe that Damon was a monster. More importantly, you didn't want to be a hypocrite.

It took some time, but eventually, you managed to see past the fangs and the eyes and saw only Damon. Soon after you started dating again and two month's later you had moved into the Boarding house. It had been some of the happiest days of your life.

As Damon shut off the engine and climbed out of the car, you took a moment to look at Dean. He was staring at the house in a state of repressed awe. You could also see a slight shift of shame move through his emerald eyes as he looked in the rearview mirror and caught your eye. Your heart clenched as you realized he felt lesser than Damon at that moment. You reached forward in your seat and gripped his canvas button down firmly, grounding him back in the reality where it was just you and him and fuck what everybody else thought. You smiled confidently at the larger Hunter before leaning forward to kiss his cheek. Everything that had bugged you back at the hospital was shoved back in that moment of just trying to comfort your new boyfriend.

Damon's home didn't impress you any more than Dean himself did every day you spent with him. But you understood Dean's feelings. Hunters lived on the road. One roach motel after another as you chased monsters across the states. You had felt humble and out of place amongst wealth such as Damon's and even Tyler's. Every one of your friends here in Mystic Falls had lived and been raised in very beautiful and expensive housing. It was a drastic comparison when your own life had consisted of shady motel rooms, Bastian's back seat and the rare overnight stay at Bobby's. You vowed to help make Dean as comfortable as possible while you stayed in the Boarding house. But you would have to talk to him about the stupid game he was playing with Damon. That shit was pissing you off greatly and that had to stop before you could help him.

You shook your head slightly before gently squeezing Dean's shoulder and pulling back to open your car door. Jeremy and Damon were both waiting for you at the walkway, quietly murmuring to each other. They quickly stopped and Damon cast a warm gaze at you as you came closer. "Home sweet home Y/N." He said as he turned and held out a hand towards the walkway as an invitation to go forward. You hesitated for a moment before shaking your head at your ex. "It's not my home anymore Damon." You murmured and looked back at Dean who seemed a little surprised yet smug as he watched the older Salvatore. 

You looked back at Damon and his face was absolutely crestfallen. You didn't know how to make it better and it hurt watching the look shadow his features. You didn't know how to make it better anymore. It used to be so easy now it felt like you were looking at a stranger. You didn't know how to help him now. But before you could get sucked into that feeling of utter heartache again, Jeremy reached out and gently pulled at your shoulder to help you move past Damon and walk at his side as you made your way up to the house. His arm wrapped over your shoulder gently and the familiar smile he cast down at you was soft and warm. 

"Door should be open." Damon called forward as he turned to follow the pair of you. Jeremy looked back and nodded but you kept your eyes forward. Just as you both made it to the door and Jeremy reached for the door knob, another flashback hit. This one, more painful. Instead of Jeremy's hand twisting the knob to get _into_ the house, it was your hand, turning it to get out.... right before the first vervain bomb crashed through the window. You blinked hard before staring at the door again. The glass had been replaced and even the door looked to have a fresher coat of lacker on it. Just like this door, you had painted over the old scars left in your life, leaving nothing but a new, untarnished outer skin. It had been years, and you had moved on.... mostly.

Jeremy pushed the door open and walked you inside, Dean following suit and Damon shutting the door after he entered. Your eyes scanned every nook and cranny of the familiar hallway as Jeremy led you all through it towards the parlor. Everything was exactly the same. No scuffed wood. No bullet holes. No lingering smell or the burn of vervain smoke in your eyes. It felt like coming out of a bad dream and seeing that it wasn't real. It felt like the nightmares had finally ended. It just felt like home. Everything was in tact. The only differences were all the new windows. But that was enough to remember the shadows in this house. Remember the three bodies you had buried in the woods out back. Remember the sight of Damon laying on the floor, while you hiked up your pack and walked out the door. Walking into this amazing house was suddenly getting a lot harder to bear.

Damon took the lead when you reached the parlor and you all made your way upstairs. Damon walked down the familiar hallway that held his bedroom as well as Stephen's old room. He walked past his own room to open the door next to it, then walked to the very end of the hall and opened the door to the farthest room. Even as he had walked away from the first door, you had already had a pretty good idea as to what the sleeping arrangements were going to be in Damon's eyes. From the look on Dean's face, he seemed to have figured out the same thing.

"Thanks for the rooms and everything but.." Dean walked closer to you and wrapped a tentative yet possessive hand on your waist, slowly rubbing his thumb up and down the skin he exposed there as he continued. "I'd prefer to stay with Y/N. Seeing that I'd be more comfortable with having her close by." Dean clicked his tongue when Damon shot him another Hell freezing glare. "For safety of course." Dean feigned innocence now yet he knew very well that Damon was not buying any of it. Especially when that damn side smirk of his tugged at his lips again. 

"Yeah I bet that's exactly why." Damon smoldered under his collar. The implications Dean had just thrown in Damon's face were not lost on you either. "While you're staying your ass in my house there won't be any fucking going on. And I mean that Pretty Boy." Damon sneered and Dean wrapped his arm tighter around your middle with his hand pressed against your stomach. "What the hell is your problem man?" Dean growled out. "Are you really still that much hung up on _my_ girlfriend that you can't just let her move on?" Dean was fuming.

"Oh, Deany Boy, you have no idea." Damon's voice had dropped to a dangerous tone and you instantly foresaw another brawl between the two happening again. "It would be different if we had broken up for a legitimate reason, but she left as her way of trying to protect me and all of her friends here." Damon smiled and the animosity in it was enough to make you grip at the lapels of Deans canvas button down over the soft black cotton shirt. "She got with you to try and replace me and the sad thing is, even on your best day, you could never be me." Damon chuckled slightly and Dean tensed up, trying to lunge at the smirking man but being held back by your arms suddenly thrown around his waist. "You son of a bitch, you're the **Ex**! Get a clue already. She's mine!"

' _Alright, that's it_!' You thought as you let go of Dean's waist and walked further down the hall to a familiar room that was centered between Damon's and the one meant for Dean at the end of the hall. It used to be your old room before you and Damon had started sharing one. "Thanks for putting us up for a while Damon." You threw over your shoulder at the two gawking hot heads still standing head to head at the beginning of the hall before entering and closing the door firmly behind you. You instantly leaned back against the door and closed your eyes, running your fingers through your hair in frustration. 

Why did they have to act that way? Why did Damon have to provoke Dean and why did Dean have instigate a fight with your ex every chance he got? ' _Ugh, men_!' All this Alpha Male posturing was starting to really get to you. You wanted to just throttle the both of them. Dean shouldn't feel so insecure that he would have to rise to Damon's baiting, and Damon should have enough courtesy for you to respect your decisions. Dean being the main one. Dean was right. Damon had to get a clue that you chose to be with Dean now. But the problem was, Damon was right too. Now that you thought about it, there were definitely similarities between the two men. 

Their sense of right and wrong. Their loyalty to friends and family. Their devotion to their causes and even their assertive characters. Both men were so close to being the same that it was almost laughable. Damon and Dean, and complimented by their brothers Stephen and Sam, who had always seemed to be their anchors. The people that would be able to bring either one back from the edge when their older brothers strayed too far. Even the reason the both of them seemed to always buttheads was due partially because they had similar personalities. They said things to each other that would get under their own skins if it was said to them. You sighed heavily and walked away from the door towards the bed, gently taking off the leather jacket still hanging off your shoulders and setting it down unwrinkled on the pillow-top before dropping to your knees and running your hand over the floorboards directly beneath it. 

Your heart was aching. You were not prepared for this situation. By being here your relationship between the gorgeous Hunter and the flawless vampire had become strained and ready to snap at both ends. As your hand pressed down against the right board and it popped up out of the floor you pushed it off of the small hidey-hole and dragged the bag of vervain vine and leather bands out of it. Replacing the board quickly you sat with the bag on the bed and quickly pulled out the ingredients needed to make a vervain charm. As you set the vial of vervain oil on the bed beside you and took out three, thin seven inch long leather cords from the bag you heard heavy footsteps outside of your door. They paused slightly as they walked passed but continued their thumping trek all the way down until you heard a door open and shut further down the hall.

You sighed heavily and closed your eyes, feeling the heat behind your eyes as the frustration settled on your mind heavily. You sniffed once and shoved the feeling back down enough to focus on your task. You didn't know what to do about your ex and your current boyfriend colliding, but you _did_ know what to do about having a compulsion happy vampire hanging around your fellow Hunter. You unscrewed the lid to the vervain oil and dropped the leather strands into the jar before sealing it up again and shaking the bottle to ensure the contents completely saturated the cords.

You'd wait one hour and braid the cords tightly to make Dean a bracelet to wear at all times while you both stayed at the Boarding house. Afterwards you would call Sam and let him know what had happened, probably get your ass chewed out by Bobby before hanging up with a promise that they'd be in Mystic Falls by lunchtime tomorrow, then take Dean back downstairs to get something to eat because if _your_ stomach was growling this much already you could only imagine how bad Dean was. You doubted he would try to scrounge or ask for food without you present so for his sake, you would try to hurry the Charm's completion.

' _After that? Well.... I guess we'll just have to wait and see_.'

*****

You left the room about an hour and a half later with the newly braided leather bracelet gripped tightly in hand. You took a deep breath as you stared down the hall towards Dean's door. 'Here goes nothing.' You thought as you calmly yet hesitantly made your way towards Dean's room. Once you stood in front of the door you knocked gently and waited. Dean opened the door a moment later with one of the landline phones pressed to his ear. His gorgeous green eyes widened slightly and his voice stopped in the middle of what he was saying into the receiver. 

"... Ugh, hey Y/N. Umm," He stuttered. "Wha.. what are you ugh, do.. doing here?" He tripped over his words as he fumbled with the door for a moment to tug it open further to let you in. You couldn't help the smile that gently graced your lips as you watched the grown Hunter stumble as he tried to speak. Dean had that habit at times and it was the most adorable thing in the world. It made your heart flutter with a very strong affection. No, it was something more than that. Something that beat in every pulse of your heart through your veins. 

The thought scared you slightly. This relationship had barely been given a name and the feelings blossoming between you two were already strong enough to make you feel anxious if you were away from the beautiful eyed Hunter for more than a few hours. It was a terrifying yet enchanting experience. How could you possibly feel this way so soon? Yet as you watched Dean hastily say goodbye to whoever was on the other end of the phone and practically toss it back on the nightstand beside his bed where it most likely had been, you found the question irrelevant. You knew exactly how.

"Um, come in. Please." Dean said waving his right arm inwards as he gripped the door in a shaky left hand. You smiled again as you entered the room and Dean closed the door softly behind you. You turned as he walked a few steps towards you while wiping his hands nervously on his jeans. "Uhh," Dean flicked his tongue out to swipe across his dry lips. Another nervous tick that you noticed he did quite often while speaking to you. "What's up?" He finally asked and you looked at the phone by the bed again. The actual device laying crookedly on the receiver. "Was that Sam and Bobby you were talking to?" You asked, genuinely curious.

He took a deep breath and sighed, his face falling a little as he walked over to the phone and fixed the earpiece. "Yeah." He said and turned to face you while leaning back against the bed. "I thought that I should let them know that we're alright and that our phones got lost. Sam was, more or less worried than Bobby was when he took the phone from Sam." He reached up and rubbed a hand down his face tiredly. "He's fucking pissed." You sighed. "Well, we _did_ expect him to be a little upset." Dean laughed darkly. "By the way he was shouting at me, I think 'upset' might be pretty big understatement Y/N." He sighed heavily and dragged crossed fingers over his hair roughly before settling his elbows on both knees. His hands clasped together broodingly in front of his tightly drawn lips.

You watched Dean for a moment before walking over to him and standing in front of his bent knees to press your forehead against his. "Hey," You said, getting his attention by stuffing the bracelet in your pocket before grasping both of Dean's hands in yours and pulling them up towards your mouth and kissing the knuckles of each one. "He'll get over it." You said determinedly and as he looked away you leaned closer and pressed a gentle kiss in between his eyebrows just above the bridge of his nose. "Stop worrying Dean. We're both alright. The arsenal is safe. The books are fine. Baby's getting fixed as we speak and the most he can say is that we're both 'idgits' for not calling sooner." You kissed his brow next and felt his warm breath as he exhaled a long sigh against your throat. "He'll get over it." You repeated, speaking soothingly against the smooth skin of his forehead. 

Dean tugged his hands out of your grip and instantly wrapped his arms around you waist, opening his legs wider as he pulled you closer into the space to bracken your hips between his muscular bow legs. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders and curled a hand up into the short hairs at the back of his head. You closed your eyes and settled you cheek softly on the top of his head, only turning every now and then to pressed kisses into his sandy blond hair. A thought occurred to you as you stood there with Dean holding you so tightly that his muscles in his arms were slightly shaking, and you softly began to hum an old lullaby that your mother had sung to you when you were a child. 

You couldn't help the single tear that slipped from beneath your closed eyes and landed in Dean's hair. He pulled back slightly, loosening his death grip as he did so enough to peer up at you through his own slightly wet lashes. "What is that?" He asked, reaching up to wipe at the stream of tears falling on your cheeks away with a gently hand. You sniffed again before wiping a bit more roughly at your eyes in order to scrub the remaining trails away. "I can't remember the name, but my mother use to sing it to me and my siblings when we were little." You settled your hands on his shoulders again as you looked at him. "It always used to make me feel better so, I thought it would help." You smiled at him and another tear fell, causing you to roll your eyes at the useless attempt at hiding them. 

Dean placed a hand behind your neck and nudged your head down to look in his eyes again. "It's beautiful." He admitted, his bright smile peeking out through partially spread lips. "Thank you for sharing it with me." He pulled your head closer and pressed your foreheads together again as you stared into each others sodden eyes. "Oh, I almost forgot." You said as you reached down and pulled the bracelet out of your pants pocket to present it to Dean. Dean wiped his eyes and reached for the leather band with a gentle smile. "What's this?" He asked as he pulled it out of your hands and examined it.

You laughed lightly as you took it back and reached for his wrist. "I made it for you. It's a token of protection made from a rare plant called vervain." You spun the truth to fit your needs at you tied the cords together tightly to slide easily around his right wrist, happy that the measurements had been accurate enough to allow for the movement. "While we're here, I want you to promise that you won't take it off, not even to shower. Ok Dean?" You asked, a wisp of worry that he would object laid in the undertone of your voice. "Y/N, I promise I won't _ever_ take it off. Even when we get back home." He vowed and the relieved sigh you expelled caused him to chuckle slightly, the corners of his eyes crinkling warmly as he watched you.

"Thank you Dean." You said, genuinely happy that he liked the charm. He reached up and cupped your cheek as he leaned up. "Thank _you_ Y/N." He whispered right before he pressed his lips softly to yours. You could feel his hesitancy. The way he held you loose enough so that you could pull away from him if you wanted to. You felt awful then. Dean felt like he had to leave enough room between the two of you to let you move away if you wanted. It was a sickening feeling and one you couldn't stand. So, you decided to fix it. You pressed your lips harder to Dean's mouth, slotting them together and delving your tongue into the Hunters mouth. 

He groan into your opened mouth and sucked at your exploring tongue as you kissed him with fervor. You fisted the short hairs at the base of his skull as he reached up and threaded his fingers through your long hair. You moaned softly as he nipped at your bottom lip before sucking it into his mouth and running his tongue seductively over the slight sting. "Y/N?" Dean asked and the rest of the question followed as a grope of your inner thigh and the brush of his knuckles upwards against your clothed clit. 

" _Ah_ ," You moaned lowly and found yourself nodding vigorously. Dean stiffened then and groaned in frustration. "We don't have a condom." He almost growled and you could feel the same irritation run from your slowly rising heartbeat to your now throbbing clit. "Can you pull out?" You asked, agitation slowly building even as you asked for something you didn't want. He shook his head. "I doubt it. I can't really control myself with you." You saw the slight blush warm his cheeks as he looked away and rubbed circles into your inner thigh. "You feel too good." The shy admission notched your need up higher and a slight whimper escaped you as you reached down to press Dean's hand tighter into the muscle he was kneading.

"What about," You panted. "Your wallet?" You asked and Dean looked up at you again with bright eyes. "Yeah, should be one in there." He confirmed and his grin turned hungry as his eyes turned lustful. You replied with an excited grin of your own. "I'll go get it. You lay back and take your pant's off." You commanded, pulling back so that you could start walking to the door. "I love it when you start getting all demanding, baby." He said, laying back on the bed and spreading his legs apart unnecessarily yet invitingly wide as he reached down and undid his button before pulling the zipper down slowly, the very sound echoing in the quite room rather loudly. 

You noticed your breathing was getting heavier as you watched Dean slowly push at the material that now moved freely down slightly freckled, well muscled hips. Your breath hitched when he left his boxers where they were and slid the pants down to his thighs before laying a hand directly over the small tent his hardening cock was already making in the soft material. Dean raised his head and stared at you through slightly narrowed eyes as the heel of his hand pressed down lightly on the growing bulge beneath his shorts. "Hurry up baby." He growled in a low and raspy voice. "I'm so hard for you right now but we kinda need that rubber." He said and you could tell that he desperately wished that you didn't need it. You certainly knew the feeling, given that you didn't even want to feel anything between Dean's amazing cock and your vaginal walls. 

You breathed out a hard breath before nodding and turning to yank the door open enough to squeeze through without exposing Dean's form to the open hallway, and shut it before sprinting to your room and throwing the door open. You snatched up Dean's leather jacket a bit rougher than you would have liked but you took great care to open the pocket you had placed Dean's wallet in. You took it out and flipped it open, instantly seeing the foil wrapped condom and the folded picture of the smiling blond haired women holding a four year old Dean in front of her in her arms. Libido was cooled down enough to gaze at the photo in wonderment for a moment. 

Mary Winchester and Dean shared the same smile and the same look in their eyes when they were happy. You saw the ring she had on her wedding finger and instantly recognized it as the ring Dean wore daily on his right hand. You didn't think you had ever seen him take it off. You wished you could have seen Dean as a grown man who never lost someone so beautiful. "Thank you miss Winchester." You whispered to the photo. "You have two really great son's ma'am. I hope you know that. I'm honored to have one of them as mine." You lightly kissed the photo over young Dean's image and put it back into the right pocket before moving to the next and pulling out the shiny plastic square meant for more... endowed men. You smirked as you set Dean's wallet back down on the bed and turned to exit the room. 'Dean definitely wasn't a one size fits all kind of guy' you thought as you shut the door firmly behind you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how was your first taste of Damon P.O.V.? And yeah, you know what's coming next. *Wink wink* I think it's time for some more smut, don't you?


	16. What Could it Hurt?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Evil laughing* Enjoy my pretties. Enjoy!

Your heart raced back up to its earlier pace as you reached Dean's bedroom. Excitement buzzed in your veins as you walked quickly but quietly down the hall. At every turn today you had been denied the physical intimacy you and Dean were both craving. Now, you finally had some time to yourselves where you could steal that moment and milk it for all it was worth... no pun intended. When you reached Dean's door and moved to grab a hold of the knob there, a familiar sound echoed softly from within. Your hand stilled as you heard the deep moan come from inside and you had to forcefully shake yourself before you yanked the door open again. 

Dean was there, sprawled out on the bed. His pants hung off of one foot now and his black shirt had been removed along with the green canvas button down he had been wearing. He had kicked off his shoes and removed his socks so that he could crawl up the bed lengthwise and lay there to wait for you. Although, from the looks of what you had walked in on, it was definitely apparent that Dean was as impatient as you were. Perhaps even a bit more, given that he had started without you. You weren't exactly upset by that fact, given that the sight in front of you was shooting your libido up way past the normal limit as you watched Dean's beautiful face contort with pleasure. But at the same time you thought of a few creative ways to show Dean that he should definitely wait for his girlfriend to return with the damn condom before he tries to come without her.

Dean's head was thrown back slightly and his eyes were closed as he slowly stroked one large hand up and down his shaft in a steady rhythm. "Oh, Y/N." Dean breathed out and the wrecked moan he let out next had you nearly slamming the door before fumbling to lock it and shoving the chair you found at the side desk under the knob so that it wouldn't budge. You doubted it would hold off a certain determined vampire ex from just busting it open if he really wanted to, but hopefully he would read that this had been an act that _you_ had thought up. Considering that you use to do it on occasion when you really didn't want to talk to anyone. Including Damon. 

"Expecting an interruption baby?" Dean heaved out as he watched you from where he still lay on the bed. He had raised his head to observe you fortifying the door against intrusion and his tanned freckled skin was slightly flushed pink across his upper chest and neck. He looked so relaxed and ready to let you take the lead in whatever was going to happen. He looked so fucking hot laying there completely compliant and willing that you bit your lip to suppress a whimper of need. ' _Weird how he seems so ready to let me be boss today_.' You thought with a pleased smirk dawning your face instead. Usually, you would have to playfully wrestle a bit with the older Winchester before either of you folded to the others will. Pinning each other down into the mattress while grinding your hips into sensitive areas often decided who would take the lead in your sex. For that round, at least. And what an arousing game it was. 

Heat pooled deliciously in between your thighs as you tracked Dean's lazily stroking hand wrapped around the impressive girth of his member. You licked your lips and instantly dropped a hand down to rub a few times against your clothed clit. "In _this_ house," You began moving your hands up to claw at the button and tear the zipper of your jeans down quickly before shoving the pants down your legs and stepping out of them, kicking off your shoes in the process but leaving your long socks on for the moment. "You can't be too careful." You thought over the fact that Damon and Jeremy both had enhanced hearing and if they were still in the house there was a good chance that even the extra padding in the wall of the Boarding house wouldn't be enough to muffle everything if you both got too wild. It both added a thrill and made you feel a little guilty that if Damon heard Dean fucking you, his heart would definitely break.

But as your gaze inched up the length of Dean's nearly completely uncovered body, all thoughts of Damon flew out the window, and you opted to stare at the gorgeous mass of tanned and toned skin and muscle that rippled all across him. Dean had removed everything but his worn soft cotton black boxers so you decided to match that and stripped out of your grey shirt before tossing it on the ground, not caring where it landed. 

You fixed Dean with a ravenous stare as you slowly moved towards his slightly trembling form on the bed. He shuddered as he watched you and you could see just how close he was to coming as he picked up the pace of his stroking hand. Tightening the grip as he pumped himself a little faster. Just the site of it was making your soaked pussy jealous of Dean's hand as you placed your right knee hesitantly on the foot of the bed and ran the nails of your hand gently over the exposed thigh there for his viewing pleasure. 

Dean's breathing hitched and he added a twist to his rhythm as his hand ran up the slightly red tip of his visibly rock hard cock. " _Ah_ , fuck baby." Dean panted as you began to climb onto the bed and crawl on your hands a knees towards the writhing Hunter. "I'm so close Y/N. _Ungh_ , so fucking close." Dean admitted, never taking his eyes off of your prowling form. "Oh yeah baby? You're _that_ close?" You smiled hungrily at Dean and dropped your eyes to his cock as he whimpered. You ran a teasing hand up the inside of his leg and pushed a few fingers past the opening of the boxers where his leg prtruded from it. The slight tease drew a heavy moan from Dean and his breath hitched once more when you drew your hand back with a light scrape of your nails down the soft inner flesh of his well muscled thigh, causing the larger Hunter to shiver and almost come right then and there. 

"We can't have that now can we?" You said mischievously before tearing Dean's hand away from his throbbing dick and circling the base if it with your middle finger and thumb on your right hand, squeezing slightly to ensure that it staved off any chance of an orgasm at that moment. Dean threw his head back with a sharp intake of breath before groaning loudly and clawing at the comforter beneath his sweat coated body. 

"Y/N, please." Dean begged, his face scrunched up at the frustration of you denying him his release. "Please baby, I need it." And he tried to regain the feeling by thrusting upwards in your hand but your other hand came up to press down on his right hip, keeping him in place and earning another groan from Dean. "You started without me Winchester." You said, your voice dripping with enough silver to make even Lucifer himself swoon. "That's a 'no no' in my book. I think you need to be punished for that little stunt." You ran a hand down his tanned and toned chest and watched as the muscles in his stomach quivered under your touch. Dean moaned again when your hand went back up and pinched a hardened nipple slightly before tugging it gently upwards and letting go. Dean sat up from where he was and his hands moved down to your hips to draw circles into the muscles before one hand dropped in between your spread thighs and slipped into your underwear to play with your clit.

You inhaled sharply and your body flew back to brace your weight on your hands as your head hung upside-down. "Don't punish me baby," Dean said, and you could hear the smirk in his cheeky tone. "I'll make you feel really good if you promise not to." His thumb continued to draw little circles around your swollen bundle of nerves as two fingers reached lower and slowly, gently slid into you. The slight discomfort of being stretched so quickly was overwhelmed by the sheer pleasure Dean was provoking in you by using his skilled fingers to pump slowly in and out of your channel. 

Your breath hitched when he added a third finger a minute later and sharply twisted the digits to the left inside of you, brushing that special bundle of nerves within your drenched pussy. " _Ah ahhah_!" You moaned and Dean leaned closer to place wet kisses all across your newly flushed chest. "I make you feel good, don't I baby?" He asked lowly, mouthing at your still clothed breast, teasing the nipple with his tongue through the bra. "I make you so wet and ready that all you can think about is how good I am when I fuck you, don't I?" You didn't say anything, only continued to pant as your hand furthest away from him scooted closer to remove the knee high winter sock from your foot. A grand idea suddenly entering your mind as he teased you. 

"C'mon baby," Dean said sucking a hickey into the exposed skin of your right breast just above where the bra was. "I can't hear you." When he chuckled you ripped his hand away from your pussy and knocked him back to lay flat on the soft mattress again. You quickly straddled his hips and leaned down to smash your mouths together in a heated kiss. Dean grunted in surprise at first before his hands reached up to cup your face in both palms and draw you into a new angle to deepen the kiss. His tongue practically being shoved down your throat as you blindly tied the sock into a pair of handcuffs that would have made MacGyver proud and probably a little bit horny too. 

You looped the sock around two of the metal bars made into the headboard and slowly ran your hands down the length of Deans arms to drag his wrists up towards the binds. At first he resisted having them tugged upwards away from your body but when you angled your hips enough to roll against his exposed cock he allowed the movement, opting to just lay there and moan obscenely as you fixed the makeshift cuffs around his wrists and tightened them enough to hold him.

Once you were sure he was secured, you smiled triumphantly against his lips and roaming tongue before sitting up and laying your hands in the center of his chest between his hard dusky nipples. He stared at you with lust blown confusion for a moment before he tried to bring his arms back down and his eyes widened comically as he realized what you had done. "Y/N!" He groaned as he yanked against the ties. "Stop pulling or you'll cut off the circulation to your hands." You warned warmheartedly before leaning down and pecking him on the lips again. 

"Let me go." He said tugging once more before letting his hands fall and dawning a pouty face that was just so adorable you couldn't help but chuckle. "Maybe later Babe. Right now, I'm gonna punish you." You scooted back down until your knees bracketed his shins. You reached up and tugged the boxers the rest of the way down, freeing Dean's heavy and swollen dick from the rough elastic waistband that had been digging into it.

"Y/N, this isn't fair." Dean pouted even as his cock sprang fully upwards as you rubbed at the inside of his thighs with your thumbs. He squirmed on the bed as your hands smoothed upwards along his hips and past his reddening cock. Precome already beading enticingly at the tip. "I think it is Dean." You replied and you wrapped one hand around his shaft, rubbing it gently and gaining a shocked moan from Dean who threw his head back against the pillow. You laughed slightly at how effected he seemed to be by this and looked back to gage the size of his cock, licking your lips before you leaned up and took the appendage into your mouth. Dean yelped at the new sensation and his head snapped up to stare at you with eyes as wide as saucers. You just calmly looked back at him through long eyelashes as you adjusted the tightness of your lips and sucked him down a little deeper. The saltiness of his precome hitting the back of your throat as you bobbed up and down, taking another inch of him down every time. 

"OH, FUCK ME!" Dean panted as he watched you devour his dick with earnest. His reaction sent your own jolt of pleasure straight to your clit and you moaned around Dean, causing vibrations to rattle their way into his shaft. " _Ahh_!" This was new. Dean had never been so vocal the previous times you had shared sex. But then again, you had always needed to keep it down because the walls of the cheap motels or the ones in Bobby's house were pretty thin. And even the Bunker wasn't completely sound proof. Sound tended to echo in a building that large, even if the door _was_ closed. You decided to enjoy Dean's sounds, even though there was still that prickle of guilt in the back of your mind that anyone supernatural could still possibly overhear. At this particular moment, that was the last fucking thing on your mind. You tightened the suction of your lips as you pulled upwards and suckled at the head of his straining cock while tonguing the slit, tasting even more of the saltiness of his precome.

"Jesus fuck, Y/N." Dean started yanking at his ties around his wrists. "Baby let me go, I need to touch you." Dean begged, writhing on top of the bed as his hips pumped upwards in shallow. You came off of Dean's throbbing dick with a wet pop and quickly planted a kiss at the red tip before looking at Dean again with a smile dripping with satisfaction. "You aren't done being punished yet Dean." You leaned down and trailed loud, wet kisses from the base of his cock to his right hipbone before sucking a bruise into the flesh there. Dean squirmed in your hold as he tried to get you to stop teasing him. 

"Y/N." He groaned and you chuckled as you stroked him gently while staring at his blown out pupils. "Are you close again Dean?" You asked adding a twist to the end of the stroking motion as you reached the tip that was oozing pre-cum. "Are you ready to come baby?" Dean flexed his hips and tried to gain more friction as he nodded vigorously. "Yes!" He panted hard. "Oh God baby, yes! I'm gonna..." "You don't get to come until _I_ say you can, baby." You instructed before wrapping your whole hand around his steel hard shaft and squeezed again. Dean cried out as the pressure just above his drawn up balls kept him from being able to unload an entire flood of cum the way he so desperately wanted to. Instead, his body was at your mercy and his punishment for starting without you began to register in his over sensitive dick as well as his frustrated and fucked out mind.

Once you were sure he wouldn't shoot his load once you let go, you hand unwrapped from the still incredibly hard appendage and Dean's breathing returned to pants as he released the air he had sucked in at your reprimanding touch. You had stopped Dean from coming twice now and the small hint of darker color flushing the skin over his balls ensured that he _must_ come soon, or the effects of blue balls would hinder him from sex for some time. You smiled again at this. From the way his face scrunched up in both pleasure and discomfort, you knew that the lesson would never have to be addressed again. Shame though, you had rather enjoyed dominating Dean for this particular moment. It rarely ever happened, and certainly not like this. You found mercy and leaned over to place a sweet and soothing kiss on Dean's lips which he accepted with a groan and a pleading whimper.

"I think you've been punished enough, my beautiful Hunter." You whispered the words against his ear before pressing another kiss to the sensitive spot directly below it. "Don't you agree?" Dean shuddered as you sucked his earlobe into your mouth and bit down only slightly. "Yes." Dean heaved, his hands lazily tugging at the bonds around his wrists again as he whispered the word. "Please Y/N. I'll never start without you again, I swear." He panted and you noticed that his gorgeous green eyes had slightly darkened to that same emerald green he had when he really needed to fuck you. A shiver of your own ran up your spine and you reached behind you to grab the discarded condom, tearing the package open the moment you brought it around in your hand.

You placed the rubber directly over Dean's engorged cock and rolled it all the way down, thoroughly glad that Dean had gotten the bigger size judging by how thick and slightly swollen the whole shaft was. Even the head that was now turning and angry red seemed to be bigger than what it had originally been. The walls in your pussy clenched and fluttered at the sight and you realized you were going to have to stretch yourself. You thought about untying Dean and letting him do it but then quickly thought better of it, given that he may try to tease you just as much and you just really wanted to have Dean inside of you, right the fuck _now_. You fell backwards on the bed and quickly wriggled out of your soaked underwear as well as unclasped your bra and threw both garments over the side of the bed to land somewhere on the floor. Once you were free of the confining clothing, your dominant hand shot down to draw circles around your throbbing clit and press in two fingers right away into your entrance. The other hand flew up to play with one perked nipple and your fingers began to scissor you open as best as you could manage.

" _Ah_!" You moaned as you continued to stretch yourself in preparation for Dean's impressive cock. Your eyes closed and you listened to both the heavy breathing of Dean and yourself as Dean undoubtedly watched you finger yourself open for him. Your legs still lay on top of his thighs from the earlier straddling position you had been in when you dropped backwards and you could feel your legs rise and lower as Dean writhed in an attempt to get a better view of your spread pussy lips. "Fuck, so hot Y/N. Hurry baby, I need you." His husky voice rumbled in the space around you as your fingers pushed into your channel deeper in order to stretch more. "How bad do you want me Dean?" You panted, eyes still closed and hips slightly starting to grind against your hand as you neared the end of preparation.

"I'm gonna die without you. I need you to ride me, Y/N. I want you to fuck yourself on my dick until we both come screaming for each other. I want you to ride me so hard that you won't be able to get out of this bed without my help, and I want you to fuck me so good that we won't even remember that we're in fucking Mystic Falls." He moaned the last sentence through clenched teeth and that was it. The last thing you needed to hear in order to break. You removed your fingers from your perfectly stretched pussy and hauled yourself upright and onto Dean's hips again. He looked up at you with so much pupil dilation in his eyes that he could rival any black eyed bitch you'd meet from then on. You took hold of Dean's cock and positioned yourself over it. You kept eye contact with the Hunter laying below you all the way up until the broad head of his cock breached your entrance and slowly split you apart.

Both of you inhaled sharply and Dean's eyes fluttered closed as your head suddenly flew back at the feeling, leaving you staring at the ceiling until you had sank down completely on his pulsing cock. Heavy panting came next as you tried to focus on the feeling of Dean's dick and tried to figure out just how to begin. You decided, slow and steady should at least get you both ready and allow your pussy time to adjust to the girth splitting you apart. You pulled forward slightly, dragging the cock inside you at an angle that rubbed hard against the nerve endings surrounding it. Your walls clenched around Dean's dick and you both let out a moan at the feeling. You almost came completely off of Dean, fully intending on pushing back to be filled again, but Dean had gotten anxious. He dug his heels into the bed and bottomed out. The gasp that escaped you was nothing short of pornographic as it continued on to be a loud moan.

"Oh God, Dean." You panted and pulled off of his cock again only to slam back down onto it, Dean maneuvering to piston into you from where he lay beneath you. Easily topping from the bottom. A hard pace was set after that, grinding and heaving as if it was your last day on earth and this type of intimacy was the only thing in the world that could save you. Heavy panting and groans of pleasure filled the room as you fucked yourself hard down onto Dean's amazing cock, fulfilling his wishes of making each other forget that you were in Mystic Falls. That your ex was in the same house and that Dean still felt uneasy about having you around him. With the pleasure that Dean was receiving as he was tied down on the bed and fucked out of his mind by his girlfriend, he allowed the thought of anyone else having you like this to dissipate, and just laid there to enjoy it.

" _Ah_ , fuck. Yeah baby, _ugh_ , right there just like that." Dean moaned as your pace suddenly picked up and he continued to fuck into you from the bottom as he pumped his hips up to meet every downwards thrust you gave him. His arms strained against the ties around his wrists but you could tell that he hardly noticed them as he undulated his hips to slam deep into your pussy. Your movements had started to get sloppy as every thrust upwards Dean managed to give jammed his cock directly into that sweet spot of yours, causing you to cry out in a haze of pleasure. "Dean, I'm so close. _Ah_! So close baby." You told him and Dean's face scrunched slightly as he watched you. You had no idea what he saw when he stared at you moaning over him but whatever it was, caused his eyes to dance with some new emotion you couldn't quite see in time to decipher. Then, Dean smiled, _fucking smile_ , at you before saying, "Untie me." 

You took a moment to wipe your face from the sweat gathered by your eyes before reaching over and undoing one of the binds around Dean's wrists. He didn't wait for the other to come off before he surged forward and wrapped his arms around your sweat slicked body and kissing you deeply. You moaned into the kiss as Dean's hand fisted the hair at the base of your skull and tugged slightly as he continued to pound into you at a different angle. It wasn't long before you felt Dean's thrusts falter and you came with an echoing moan that resonated through both your bodies and bounced off of every wall in the room. 

Dean came not a moment later, the fast and hard drag of his pulsating cock still hammering into you as he forced you to milk every drop of cum out of him and into the condom covering his dick. Payback for earlier you guessed as the over sensitivity in your throbbing clit and channel made you cry out from Dean's continued pounding. After another moment, Dean slowed to a stop as he held onto your limp body. Your bones felt like jelly as he leaned back with you in his arms to lay flat on the bed again, your body draped lazily over his as you both panted and heaved against each other. 

You both were drenched in quickly cooling sweat that made you both shiver slightly as your overheated bodies tried to adjust to the dropping temperature. Both of your eyes were closed and you raised a hand to settle in between Dean's pectorals, your head pressed directly over his heart allowing you to hear the beating drop from rapid to normal as he took steady breaths. "Fuck." Dean mumbled and you felt him shift slightly beneath you. A moment later you felt a wet strand of hair being lifted from over your face and placed behind your ear. You managed to scrounge up enough energy to open your eyes and look up at Dean who was staring down at you with lazy satisfaction in his dark emerald gaze.

"That was intense." He murmured and a tired laugh escaped you. "Hell yeah it was." You smirked and he sighed. "Don't ever deny me from coming twice in a row again." He chuckled softly. "That shit kinda hurt." You smiled and turned your head to press a kiss to his sweaty chest before replying. "But wasn't that the reason you felt that _intense_ release just now?" You asked bashfully and Dean huffed. "I'm debating on whether or not it was worth it." You gently slapped at his chest at that and he laughed through his exhaustion as he pulled you even closer to his body, nuzzling your face and placing chaste kisses on your lips, cheeks and forehead. 

Another minute passed and your heard Dean's stomach rumble. You laughed as you realized you still had not eaten since the diner and chocolate bar back in Waynesboro. You sighed after a moment and mumbled, "We need to take a shower." You pushed up heavily from where you lay cuddled into Dean's side, his cock slipping out of you as you turned to look into his eyes. One of his hands brushed against your cheek as you did so. "And then we need to go downstairs and get something to eat." You chuckled and Dean's eyes lit up and he laughed as you mentioned food. 

Then a solemn look covered his face as he sighed and his hand paused its rubbing to gently cup your cheek. "Y/N," He said and rose up on his elbow in order to look at you properly. "I know I have no right to ask this, but," He looked away and sighed before looking directly into your eyes. "While we're here, can you just, try to stay away from Damon?" He asked, and your smile instantly vanished and the warmth you had felt from the after sex bliss died just as quickly. It astounded you that even after what had just happed between the two of you that he could still feel so threatened by Damon. It also made you feel a bit of animosity towards Dean's insecurity. Ok, sure, when Damon had you pinned against the wall in that storage closet you had kinda lost it but there was no need for either of them to be acting like fools over this. 

Damon was your ex. Dean was the one who had just blurted out that he was your boyfriend back in the lobby. 'And what the hell was all that about anyways?' You thought, suddenly skeptical. You and Dean had never discussed monogamy before hand so why just blurt out that you both were an item? Was it simply because Damon intimidated Dean that much? The thought only made your anger boil that much more under your skin as you opened your mouth to answer his stupid request.

"If you two are done, I'd like to ask you both to come down to the parlor." Damon's voice echoed softly from the other side of the barricaded door. Your attention swiftly bounced towards it with a look of sheer horror spread over your face. Earlier you had been a little too caught in the moment to give a shit whether anyone had heard you and Dean or not and had Dean not spoiled the moment just now with that dumbass request you might still be riding your high and not really care. But now that pleasure was gone and heat was dead, all you could think is that Damon had heard it all. "Everyone is waiting to see you Y/N." He said and you listened to his heavy footfalls walk away down the hall with a mortified expression etched onto your face.

You covered your face with your hands and tried to take deep, calming breaths as Dean shifted behind you uncomfortably. Your heart squeezed and tears filled your eyes as you drew in ragged breath after ragged breath. You got up from the bed suddenly and yanked the chair out from under the door knob to place it back at the desk before going to gather your clothes up off of the floor. The whole time you put your clothes back on to run to your room and take a boiling hot shower ticked by only one thought echoed in your mind.

' _What the fuck have I done?_ ' 

*****

*Damon

Damon walked down the hall but ran down the stairs and into the kitchen as he tried to get away from the source of the sounds that drew him upstairs in the first place. Tears streamed down his eyes as he flitted down to the wine cellar that he and Stephen had converted into a dungeon in a few places. He picked one cell and huddled in the corner with his knees drawn up to his chest tightly. He pressed his head firmly against his arms and allowed the tears to flow from his eyes and fall from his face.

His heart felt like it was being shredded then burned all at the same time. He was hurt, and hurt bad. He never stopped loving you, even after you left. Even after all the years he had spent missing you and the one he had spent as a Ripper trying to get over you had never really made him stop. Damon cried unlike any time he had ever cried before, his fangs digging into his bottom lip to keep the whimpers from escaping. 

You didn't love him anymore. What other explanation could there be for what he had heard up there? You sounded like you were having stomach pains from the sound of your moaning. You had never sounded that way with _him_. Even when you had rough sex together, your noises had always been controlled and easily discernable as pleasure filled. Whatever you had been doing in there with that Hunter, was nothing like what the two of you had ever done. A harsh cry escaped him and Damon bit deeper into his lip to stop the rest from following. 

"Damon?" Someone called his name from somewhere in the cellar and Damon instantly stopped crying. He wiped his tears and licked the blood from his bottom lip as it healed quickly. He got up and straightened his clothes and fixed his hair from the ruffled tinge it got when he had wrapped his arms around his head. "Damon, you down here?" The voice called again and Damon hurried out of the cell while quickly grabbing a bottle of vintage wine from one of the racks against the wall before heading back towards the entrance to the cellar. 

Damon spotted Tyler looking around in the cellar and deduced that _he_ was the one who had been calling for him. When he approached the young Lockwood Hybrid, the boy instantly spun on his heel as he caught Damon's scent. "There you are." He said with a huff. "Been looking for you. We all kinda heard that little Love Fest upstairs." He said with a smirk and Damon's heart fell again while his nonchalant smirk stayed in place. "I know its been a few years man but seriously? You couldn't wait a few more hours to tire Y/N out? The rest of us _do_ actually want to see her and talk to her tonight." Damon felt his resolve shatter at ever word this little Hybrid was uttering and he really needed to stop before Damon decided to follow through on his urge to rip his tongue out.

"Seriously though, why hasn't she come down yet?" Tyler asked, a look of puzzlement on his face. "I heard the shower turn on but it kinda sounds like its coming from two separate rooms. You forget to turn one off or what?" He asked, his eyebrow raised as he looked sparingly at the wine bottle in Damon's hands. "Gonna wine and dine her tonight? Good, maybe she'll stay if you two start reconnecting. After five years, I doubt she still has to worry about anyone trailing her. And even if she did, we're all a lot stronger than what we used to be. He can help her now if she stays." Tyler's brown eyes flashed tawny as he emphasized his point, though they glowed with a certain warmth at the prospect of seeing his friend again. "So, how tired is she gonna be after you assaulted her? Is she even feeling up to visitors?"

Damon added more glamour to his smile as he hooked an arm around Tyler's shoulders and led him out of the cellar. "Oh Lockwood," Damon droned as if this were the most boring topic of discussion to have ever been brought up to the nearly two hundred year old Vampire. "That wasn't me up there with Y/N just now." Damon felt his face slightly fall as Tylers expression turned confused as he stared at him. "Y/N, has a new boyfriend with her. And he's the one who was making that little 'Love Fest' as you called it." Tyler stepped out of Damon's hold on his shoulders and just stared at him for a long moment before the young Hybrid found his voice again.

"Y/N brought someone with her? Who? And why would she bring him **here** of all places?" Damon shook his head and sighed. "Yeah. She moved on, I guess." Damon's voice hitched slightly and he coughed to try and cover it up which only made it more apparent to Tyler. "His name is Dean and he's one of her new hunting buddies I guess. And she didn't exactly _choose_ to bring him here." Damon sighed again as he scrubbed a hand frustratingly down his face. "They were both in a car crash right outside of town and Caroline's mom found them. Ambulance brought them to the hospital and Meredith gave them the old V-blood treatment and they both healed up." "Wait a minute, they were in a wreck?" Tyler cut in. "Dr. Fell gave Y/N's boyfriend vampire blood? Was that a good idea? You said that he was one of her hunting buddies. Does this Hunter know about... well.. _us_?" He asked, gesturing to the whole house around them in order to emphasize the other people who were there. 

Damon shook his head again. "No, he doesn't. I doubt Y/N has told this guy anything about us. He's already tried to fight bare handed with me on a few different occasion's and I've already had to compel him twice since he woke up this morning..." Damon thought about that for a moment. "Okay, I had to compel him once but the other time was for a valid reason." Tyler just looked at the older man and raised an eyebrow. "Sure it was. I know you Damon. You have a habit of using compulsion to get your way with most things. You know that Y/N used to hate it when you did it to get free drink's a the Grill. How do you think she's gonna feel about you trying that shit on her new boyfriend?" 

Damon scoffed. "That kid isn't even in the same _league_ with her!" He snapped, utterly irritated with Tyler's prodding. "He isn't even close to being in _my_ league. I saw him try to fight against Jeremy's grip and it was pathetic and.." "And yet she's still here with _him_." Damon froze as he stared at the ground. Seconds ticked by and Tyler slowly inched closer to put a hand on Damon's shoulder. "You good?" He asked and Damon suddenly chuckled darkly, causing Tyler to eye him wearily. "I feel, okay." He said before his eyes set into a cold look as he glared at the wine bottle still gripped in his hand. "And it sucks!" He said right before he pulled his arm back and threw the bottle at the rocky walls of the cellar as hard as he could, causing the glass to shatter into the smallest pieces against the stone. Tyler had jumped back when Damon had thrown the bottle and now was just staring at the red liquid dripping down the walls into a pool of tiny green glass shards.

Damon spun on his heel and walked up the steps into the main house, leaving Tyler in the cellar watching after him, and thinking just how long this little get together would last before someone ended up dead.

*****

*Dean

Dean scrubbed at his skin roughly as the hot water poured down his back and chest. He had removed the overflowing condom and properly disposed of it and the wrapper before stepping foot into the shower. He honestly didn't know what to feel at this very moment. He knows he should feel at least a little embarrassed that your ex had definitely heard the two of you going at it like rabbits in Dean's barrowed room, but he didn't. In fact, he was even a little smug if not proud that Damon had heard you moaning Dean's name. Telling Dean that you were so close to coming and calling Dean 'baby' as you rode his cock with earnest.

Dean sighed heavily and ducked his head under the water to wet his hair before grabbing the small bottle of shampoo and working it into a lather in his dirty blond hair. It did bother Dean that you had all but sprinted from the room once you had heard Damon's voice on the other side of the door. Without answering his request at that. Though Dean had a pretty good idea what your answer would have been as he recalled the way your face had contorted from one of sexual bliss to one of irritation and downright anger. Dean didn't know how to approach this. He had never had a long-term girlfriend before, let alone one that had an ex as persistent and determined as Damon.

Dean could see as clear as day that the way Damon looked at you showed just how much he still wanted you. How much he still cared for you. How much he still loved you. But Dean wanted to be selfish, for once in his life. Damon had had his time with you years ago and if it hadn't have been for Dean being thick headed enough to think that you needed closure on the whole Mystic Falls chapter in your life you both would be safely back in Lebanon sitting down to lunch and listening to Sam rattle off a few new cases he had found. Or better yet, You and he would have dropped off the books with Bobby and had headed back out to the country like Dean had suggested you do back on that hill. 

You wouldn't be back here in the Boarding house. Damon would still just be a name in a nightmare, and the whole wreck that ultimately led to Dean finding you in a storage closet with your ex grinding against you and making out with you never would have happened. You definitely wouldn't have started fighting as much as you had been in just the past day. Dean had lost count already of how many times he had argued with or pissed you off within the past twenty four hours. Dean closed his eyes and leaned his head back in order to wash the soap from his hair. Another thought hit him just then and he pulled out of the spray enough to lean forward and place an arm on the cool tile wall before pressing his forehead to it.

You had said that the people in Mystic Falls were special. That had been lost on Dean for a while now but as he thought back to that kid pinning him so easily against the wall, he couldn't help but wonder about it. That boy had been strong enough to keep Dean from moving and inch to get out of his hold and yet Damon hand grabbed him and pulled him off of Dean in an instant. You had said that a lot of your friends, including Damon and his brother, had been some of these special people. You had mentioned Hunters that had been 'Destined' or whatever, to become a type of guardian of this town. Did that mean that Damon was more than just the civilian that Dean had originally thought he was? Was Damon one of these so called Guardians? And if so, did that make Dean inferior to Damon and the love and protection he could offer you?

Dean shook his head and scrubbed his hands down his face in frustration. He shouldn't be thinking like this. He had already told you that you belonged to him. That you were his girlfriend. If he showed any signs of doubting his own words then you would soon doubt them too and that would leave you wide open for Damon to sneak his way back into your life. You hadn't moved on. That was apparent by how defensive you got every time Dean mentioned Damon around you. Above anything else all he wanted was for you to forget about Damon and only feel a connection with _him_. But Dean could tell. Damon still held a part of your heart. 

He tried not to let it hurt him so much but it was really fucking hard. Damon had been your first, apparently. And like with most people, you never forget your first. Cassie's memory had plagued him for years after she had broken up with him, but Dean liked to think he had moved on from her. Though it only seemed to happen when he had to go back to her town in order to handle a case about a racist ghost in a big ass truck. Dean shook his head and turned the water off as he exited the shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist and walked out into the bedroom to put his clothes from earlier back on. He hated putting on the same clothes after a shower, even if they _were_ clean, but there was no way in fucking Hell that Dean was going to ask _Damon_ for a set that he could borrow. ' _Fuck that_.' Dean thought to himself as he slipped the soft black cotton shirt over his head and pulled it down.

Besides, he had called Sam and he and Bobby were both on their way to Mystic Falls to come and get them anyways. His little brother would surely have a few extra pairs of clothes that belonged to Dean in his duffle. As Dean buttoned up his pants and zipped the fly he looked over to the rolled up fabric laying on the nightstand beside his bed. He reached over and picked it up, unrolling the bundle and grabbing his gun before packing the Bowie and your daggers back into it and heading out of his room, shutting the door tightly behind him. 

Tomorrow would be Thanksgiving, and he mentally made a note that he wanted to be on good terms with his beautiful girlfriend when Sam and Bobby showed up and they went to spend the day with _real_ family, and not whatever the hell this place had to offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any comments?


	17. The Welcoming Committee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I am so very tremendously sorry that it has taken me so long for an update. School has literally sucked the life out of me and work has taken the rest. But I hope this chapter makes up for it. It's longer than any of my previous ones so I hope you enjoy it. Comments and kudos appreciated!

You stood under the hot spray of the shower head for far longer than necessary. Guilt and even a little remorse seeped into your bones and made you feel cold even under the boiling water. “Dammit.” You whispered and shut your eyes as you leaned your forehead against your arm braced on one of the walls. Damon hadn’t even sounded angry or upset about what you knew he had heard between you and Dean, and that made you more uncomfortable than if he actually _had_ said something. You knew Damon well enough to know that it was when he said nothing, or showed no emotion at all is when he was burning under his skin.

You had to make it right. Damon often did rash and stupid things when he was hurt and the last thing you wanted your ex to do was try to turn off his humanity to escape the pain. You leaned your head back into the spray and let it wash the rest of the soap out of your hair before turning off the water and stepping out to dry yourself. Once your body was dry you wrapped the towel around yourself and walked into your bedroom where Dean was sitting on the bed waiting for you. You stopped in your tracks immediately. 

Dean looked up as he saw you and you both stared at each other for a long moment before he sighed. “Is this how it’s going to be between us now that we’re here?” He asked, his voice low and tired. His hands wringing the small bundle you had passed to him back at the hospital with your weapons inside of it. You swallowed uncomfortably. “Dean, of course not. I just don’t…. feel comfortable here.” “You don’t feel comfortable being my girlfriend here?” Dean interrupted sharply. You sighed. “Dean, you don’t understand.” You pinched the bridge of your nose before continuing. “Damon and I have a really… complicated, past and what just happened worries me.” You said in a soft voice, hoping he would understand. “What do you mean, ‘It worries’ you?” He asked, standing up from the bed and dropping the bundle on the bed before walking closer to you. 

You bit your lip as you looked up at him through your eyelashes, sighing softly for a moment before speaking, choosing your words carefully as you did. “Damon used to be prone to doing reckless and idiotic things when he was upset. I just don’t want him to go out and do something that he’s going to regret later because of what he heard.” You put simply and Dean’s eyes narrowed. “What aren’t you telling me Y/N?” He asked as he took another few steps closer until he was standing only a foot away from you. 

“There’s a lot more to your worried face right now than just that your ex might go out and do something stupid. What are you keeping from me?” He took another step towards you and you stepped back when his chest pressed right against yours. He put his hands on your towel covered hips and held you in place as he stared down into your wide (y/c/e). “Are you still in love with him?” He asked, and his voice was soft and strained, on the verge of breaking. “Is that it?” His eyebrows furrowed together as he regarded you. The question caught you off guard but you had known that sooner or later, Dean was going to ask it. You had already mentally prepared yourself to answer. 

“Dean, I want you to listen to me very carefully baby.” You said, taking in a huge breath of air before continuing. “Damon, was my first real relationship that lasted longer than a few weeks. I was a Hunter Dean. My life was always on the road and anyone I ever had an interest in was purely for one night before I hit the road on a new case the next morning. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.” You gave him a pointed look, daring him to object, but he only pursed his lips slightly before nodding and urging you to continue. 

“After Clay died, I just wasn’t ready to keep hunting. Damon helped me through a really hard part of my life where I didn’t have anyone to fall back on.” Dean scrunched his brows together harder. “What are you talking about? You had Bobby. He would have taken you in no matter what shape you were in.” “Yeah, and if **you** ever came back without Sam what do you think Bobby would have said? How would **you** have felt, coming back to Bobby without your brother right beside you?” You cut in sharply.

Dean’s eyes widened in slight horror before they dimmed in defeat and looked away from your face for a moment to stare at the floor. “Yeah.” You said and Dean brought his gaze back to you again. “That’s what I knew was going to happen to me if I went back without Clay.” You dropped your gaze to stare at Dean’s green canvas button-down he had put back on. “I want you to understand that even if I _do_ still have some type of connection with Damon, I have chosen to be with you now.” You looked up into slightly daunted eyes. “I was with Damon years ago and certain things happened where I couldn’t stay. It hurt leaving everything and everyone here behind but I can’t bring myself to regret it.” You reached up with one hand and gently caressed his stubble covered cheek. He leaned into the touch and closed his eyes with a contented sigh as you rubbed your thumb back and forth across his cheekbone. 

“Because if I had never left I never would have met you. Or Sam or seen Bobby again. I want us to have a chance at something more Dean. I’m only asking that you trust me while we’re here.” Dean opened his eyes enough to stare back down at you again. “I know this place and its people really well. That includes Damon. The last thing I want to happen is for him to go to the bar and get hammered, and possibly start a fight while he’s out there. Our friend Alaric used to be the one to go watch after him when Damon and I would occasionally fight. But now that he’s gone…. I just don’t want to risk anything happening just because I showed up unexpectedly. Alright, baby?” You asked and the look you threw at Dean was purely pleading.

He pursed his lips together again in concentration as he thought on that for a moment. Finally, he sighed heavily and nodded his head as he leaned in and pressed a kiss to your still slightly damp forehead. “Alright Y/N.” He said as he wrapped his arms around your waist loosely. “I’ll trust you with the decisions while we’re here but tomorrow Sam and Bobby are supposed to be here and I’d like us to go with them to the next town to rent a motel room. Bobby still wants us all to spend Thanksgiving together. Ok?” He said gently, reaching up to move a wet strand of hair out of your eye and back behind your ear.

The statement left you feeling slightly deflated. You had been hoping to spend Thanksgiving here in Mystic Falls with all of your friends that were most likely waiting impatiently downstairs. After so many years away, spending this one holiday with them even if it hadn’t been planned up until a few hours ago, would have made you so happy. Laughing with your best friend Elena. Picking on Jeremy while he hogged all the rolls and flicking pea’s from Caroline’s casserole at Matt while he wasn’t looking. Even Tyler and Bonnie supplying music and witchy house decoration’s like instant-lit candles and sound proof warding’s to make sure that everyone could be as loud and obnoxious as they wanted to be without having Car’s mom come out for a noise complaint. Those used to be the happiest parts of having to come home after an amazing road trip with Damon. 

But if you were true to your word, which you were, your newly budding relationship with Dean _had_ to come first. You nodded stiffly and Dean seemed to notice because he ducked his head to the side and pressed a warm and gentle kiss to your cheek before pulling you into a tight hug which you then returned. He sighed heavily for a moment as he nestled his face deeper into the curve of your neck. His scruff tickling the sensitive skin there as he breathed warm air against it. “Thank you.” He said and you felt him drop warm kisses at the juncture between your neck and shoulder.

You turned your head and pressed your own kiss to Dean’s still somewhat damp temple before leaning in to speak into his ear. “You shouldn’t feel so threatened by him.” You said and Dean pulled back enough to look at you again. “I’m not threatened.” Dean said with a slight pout. “I’m just…” He trailed off, looking for the right word so you decided to supply it. “Intimidated? Challenged?” You leaned into him a little more. “Jealous?” You said with a tiny smirk and a gleam in your eye as he gave you a look through narrowed eyes. A second later you felt a noticeable smack beneath your towel directly over your left ass cheek. You flinched and Dean squeezed your ass with one large hand as he smiled down into your now glaring gaze. “Provoked.” He corrected, flashing that damn side smile at you as he looked into your eyes.

The glare fell from your gaze as you leaned up and pressed your forehead to his again. “You don’t have to feel ‘Provoked’ either, Dean. It’s not a competition.” You smiled and angled your head so that you could lean up and kiss him softly. “I’m sorry I ran out the way I did. I just needed to clean up.” You let your gaze drop to your still damp body covered by only a towel for a moment before looking up again. “More than likely all of my friends are in the living room waiting for us to come down.” You smirked as Dean groaned lowly. “Are they all going to hate me too?” He asked, and you could tell that he was only half joking while the other half was truly wondering if he was going to walk downstairs and be greeted with nothing but malice. 

“It’ll be fine.” You smiled at him reassuringly. “If anyone looks at you funny, well, they all remember how scary I can get when I’m pissed off.” You said, leaning up to kiss him again before pushing out of his hold and walking over to your clothes from earlier and dropping your towel as you reached for your white lace panties and matching bra. From behind you, you heard Dean wolf whistle at your bent form and you smiled as you slid the panties on before turning with the bra in hand. “Wanna help me get dressed baby?” You asked, raising an eyebrow as you walked closer to him. His emerald green eyes were tracking your every move and his tongue came out to wet his lips when his gaze focused on your chest all the way up until you stopped a foot away from him. 

When he looked into your eyes again, the lust that had lit his eyes in hungry need earlier returned and danced in his pupils. You felt all warm inside as Dean reached up and took the bra from you, reaching out with his other hand and pushing gently at your shoulder until you turned your back to him and waited as he positioned the bra over your breasts and clasped the straps in the back together. Dean leaned down and brushed his lips over the shell of your ear before flicking his tongue out to lick at the sensitive skin beneath the lobe. “I bet you would have enjoyed that more,” Dean whispered in your ear as he brushed your hair out of the way. “If I was taking these _off_ instead.” And to emphasize his point, because the statement had obviously been too vague to satisfy his conveyance, one hand came up and gripped your right breast through the thin lace and squeeze gently. You hummed at the touch before letting a slight chuckle slip from your mouth. 

“You think that’s funny?” Dean asked but you could easily hear his own laughter in the tone that he used. “How about _this_ then?” He asked and you suddenly felt his right hand curve over your stomach before slipping further and further down the soft skin of your belly. The smile stayed in place all the way until you felt his hand slip beneath the hem of your panties and suddenly his huge, calloused hand was cupping your entire pussy inside your underwear. A slight gasp escaped you and your head fell back to lay against his shoulder as his two middle fingers pressed past your labia and dipped into your slowly heating entrance, drawing little circles as they moved down from your clit to your entrance, pressing in slightly before dragging them back up again in a torturous tease. 

“Is, all you think about,” You panted gently. “is sex?” You asked, unconsciously moving your leg further forward to give Dean better access. He chuckled against your hair before nudging your head enough to turn you toward him to accept a deep kiss before he answered. “Only when it’s with you.” He said, his voice soft and adoring. Almost like he was worshiping you with small words of praise to your body.

It drew a smile to your lips. Suddenly, it wasn’t Dean ministration’s warming your inside’s but some familiar emotion that bled from your heart into every vein in your body. It made you feel energized and happy. It made you feel alive. You turned your head enough to be able to see his face and reached a hand back to cup the nape of his neck. You stared at each other for a long moment, just taking in the beautiful hues of both of your eyes as you stood there wrapped up in each other’s arms. Dean’s teasing in your underwear halting just to be able to focus on your face. Then, as you both sighed contentedly, a loud crash sounded from below your feet and you pulled away from Dean slightly with wide eyes as you stared at the floor. 

You laughed then, and shook your head as angry and apologetic murmuring waded up through the floorboards and you could tell that the boys had broken something while Damon was barking orders for them to ‘ _Clean this mess up, before I rip out your spine, wolf boy_!’ and Tyler growling back saying he wasn’t a ‘ _Fucking maid, and I said I was sorry_!’ The banter made your heart melt just a little and you pulled further away from Dean to return to getting dressed. His hands slipping rather reluctantly from your breast and slightly wet pussy. Hearing the roughhousing going on downstairs brought back many memories of when everyone would get together in this house and either party or just relax and ‘Chill out’, as the boy’s used to say, with each other. You finished redressing in your clothes from earlier, and walked over to Dean before taking his hand.

“C’mon baby.” You said with a slight chuckle. “Let me introduce you to my family.” You said happily and walked out of the room with Dean walking close to you, hand in hand as you made your way down the stairs to greet your past.

*****

*Dean

Dean followed you down the stairs and back into the parlor where you both were instantly met with silence and narrowed glances. Including that kid Jeremy, and Damon who was throwing glass shards away in the corner, another blond guy with milky skin and a boy with dark hair and a tan were standing there in the large room. Holding up shot glasses full of amber liquid that were poised to be thrown back and emptied. The two were squinting at him and at the hand that was connected to yours. Dean suddenly felt more than a little uneasy under the scrutiny of these two men’s gazes and he started to slowly unwind his fingers from yours before he felt your hand clench strongly around his, keeping them clasped together as you led him towards the circle of leather wrapped sofas and thickly padded chairs.

When he looked back down at you it was to see the encouraging fire burning in your eyes as you smiled up at him reassuringly, and Dean had to admit, it settled his nerves a hell of a lot to see that. When he smiled back at you, you got a hard glint in your eyes and turned back to glare at the others in the room who were still staring at you both. “Did you guys come to glare at a new guest or to see me again and drink yourselves stupid?” You nearly growled out and the challenge wasn’t lost on Dean as the blond looked down at his feet and the shorter dark haired kid smirked and raised his shot glass out towards you. “We came to reconnect with our little Angel Face.” The guy commented brashly and downed the contents of the glass before dropping it down on the small side table beside the sofa he leaned against. Turning back around once more to smile wolfishly at Dean’s girlfriend. You huffed beside Dean and gently let go of his hand as you walked closer to the guy and smacked his arm roughly. 

“I always **hated** that nickname Tyler, and you know it.” You glared at him but from your body language Dean could tell that you were being playful as the brown eyed kid laughed and showed off perfectly white, straight teeth. The blond chuckled lightly before he finally spoke, his blue eyes scanning Dean curiously for a moment, and Dean could tell that he was that soft hearted jock back in high school from the way he carried himself. “But it was always fun getting that reaction out of you Y/N.” He commented with a raised eyebrow and side-smirk. Dean heard you laugh and it was so light and warm, so natural that it squeezed his heart. This was the you that these people knew. He was seeing you the way you used to be with them. He was fascinated, at the same time as devastated. He felt a little like an intruder on this moment. It made him uncomfortable. 

In the back of Dean’s mind, he knew he had to accept that these people had all known you before he did, and that they more than likely knew a side of you that Dean may never see. Because when you had lived here in Mystic Falls, you were with Damon, who had now discretely come closer to where you all were and was filling a crystal glass with what looked like scotch. And, you hadn’t been a Hunter. You had lived the Apple Pie life with them, and that was something that most likely would never be in the cards for you and Dean. It twisted a knot in his gut knowing that he would never see you the way _they_ had seen you.

Then, almost as if you had heard his inner thoughts, you turned back around to smile gently at Dean. You raised a hand and held it out in a gesture for Dean to come closer and take it. When he did though, Dean noticed Damon scoop up the whole bottle of scotch from the table and walk further away from the group to sit at the small bar in front of the bookcase leading towards the hall to the kitchen. Dean paid him no mind though as soon as his hand slipped into yours and you pulled him close to your side so that you could hug his arm and lean discretely into his side. “Tyler. Matt. I want you guys to meet Dean. Dean, this is Tyler Lockwood.” You gestured to the shorter but buffer man you had smacked and Dean reached out a hand in offer to shake. The kid stared at the hand for a long second before Dean noticed his gaze slid over to Damon’s corner for a moment more before he looked back and slowly but roughly smacked his hand together with Dean’s in a tight clasp before he shook once and let go. 

From the scowl Dean saw you sport and the slow shake of your head in disapproval Dean guessed that you caught that little hesitation from him too. But then you continued with no drop in octave of your voice as you addressed the blond. “And Matt Donovan.” Matt gave Dean a better welcome as he smiled warmly at the Hunter and clasped his hand with Dean’s with almost a familiar heir over the gesture that put Dean a little more at ease. Just then, the boy that had pinned him to the wall of the hospital lobby came up with a slightly shy smile and held out his own hand in greetings. “We haven’t been properly introduced.” He said, a sheepish look flooding the boy’s eyes as he chuckled nervously. “I’m Jeremy Gilbert.”

Dean was utterly surprised by the act in and of itself. This kid had basically thrown Dean against a wall and held him there all on his own and now the guy was acting like a little kid talking to his crush for the first time. Dean grimaced internally at that. ‘ _Bad analogy there Winchester_.’ He berated his brain internally before he smiled back at the kid and reached out to shake his hand. “Dean Winchester.” Dean introduced himself and Jeremy brightened a bit more as he let go of his hand and nodded once. “Like the gun, Winchester?” He asked and Dean instantly forgot his trepidation towards the long haired, broad shouldered kid. Dean decided that Jeremy was actually a pretty cool guy. Dean smiled a bit bigger as he nodded. “Yeah, like the gun.”

Jeremy shook his head playfully. “Dude.” Ok, yeah. Dean definitely liked this kid. His short friend with the serious brown eyes though, not so much. “Do you _have_ to get all nerdy when you meet new people, Gilbert?” The guy, Tyler asked rhetorically. Just as Dean turned to eye the guy critically, he heard you whistle lowly. “Damn Tyler, you’re a lot touchier than you used to be.” Dean saw you shake your head as you reached back and took his hand gentle, using it to pull yourself backwards against his arm. 

“Where are the girls? I **know** Caroline wouldn’t let you be such a buzz kill at a welcome home party.” You looked up at Dean with a warm smile and just seeing it made him want to kiss you breathless. But he didn’t feel like putting on a show for these men that he didn’t know. He had done that with Damon earlier and that earned him a lot of disapproving scowls from his beautiful girlfriend so he promised himself he would at least _try_ to behave to avoid any more of those looks. Dean especially did not want to make an enemy of any of your friends. Not even this Tyler guy who just kept eyeing Dean, even after a light smirk directed at you.

“Car is…” “Here!” Someone’s soft and high pitched voice sang from the opening that lead towards the front door, and everyone turned around in order to see who it was. A blond girl that kind of reminded Dean of a girl he had dated back when he was sixteen bounced her way into the room and stopped short when she saw you turn around. The smile dropped from her face and her expression turned to stone as tears gathered in her blue-grey eyes. Dean felt you drop his arm again as you shifted on your feet and took a step in the blondes’ direction before he heard your voice. It was as soft as a whisper but the air in the room had quieted so much as everyone waited for your reaction to the girl that Dean could have sworn he heard the distinct flowing sound of the blood in the veins of his neck.

“Hey Car.” You said, your voice hushed and almost disbelieving. “It’s good to see you again kiddo.” You crooned to the young looking girl and suddenly, the girl was on you, wrapping you up in a tight hug that Dean heard actually pop your back all along the spine as she squeezed. Dean blinked at the scene. He had barely blinked but the girl had gone from the open archway and into the den and around the sofa so fast Dean was wondering if he had shut his eyes while she ran to you. ‘ _Weird_.’ Dean thought, a tendril of unease spreading through him. Maybe he was just still a little dizzy from the crash. It was a miracle that you both had gotten out of it without a scratch but maybe Dean was just getting a few residual effects of whiplash. He shrugged off the thought, given that it wasn’t what was really important to him at the moment. Instead, he chose to watch you.

Your arms had immediately wrapped around the blond girls’ skinny body and squeezed just as tight if not tighter as you held her close to you. Dean vaguely thought about how uncomfortable that hug must be but apparently it mattered little if at all to you or the girl, Caroline. “Oh my God, Y/N.” Caroline sobbed and she pulled away to look at your face as buckets of tears streamed down hers. “Is it really you? You’re here? You’re alive? Oh my God, how? Where have you been? What have you been doing? And who is _this_ guy?” Caroline rattled off her list of questions so quickly Dean couldn’t help but feel another wave of dizziness hit him and he reached for you to help ground himself a little. The bracelet you had given him catching slightly against your shirt where the leather cords brushed the soft cotton of it.

You looked back at him for a moment before turning back and settling your head in the crook of the shuddering girls’ neck. “What order do you want me to answer all of that Car?” And Dean could hear the smirk in your voice as you rubbed your friends back for a moment before pulling away. “It’s so good to see you again.” Dean heard your voice hitch and sound tight as you whispered the words. Dean saw tears slip down the blond girls’ pasty white complexion as she smiled so wide it reached from ear to ear as she cried happily. 

This is surprisingly what manages to hurt Dean the most as well as sadden him immensely. Dean had tried to hard not to let the fact that these people he was meeting for the first time had obviously grieved when you had disappeared. But seeing the way this girl had latched onto you like she was afraid that if she let go or loosened her grip that you would vanish again, rang like a bell in Dean’s mind. The life that you had made here, was obviously a good one. And then a few asshat’s with a grudge had chased you out of it. 

Dean didn’t know what prompted him to suddenly turn and look in Damon’s direction, but as soon as he did, his eyes met with the ice blue irises of his new rival, and he froze. Damon was staring at you and your friend knowingly, almost as if he could read the encounter in a different way and was seeing something that Dean himself could not see. Then, as though he could feel Dean’s gaze on him, which more than likely he could, Damon turned his gaze to meet Dean’s square on. They stared at each other for a long moment before a dark and eerie looking smile crept its way onto Damon’s lips as he smirked at Dean. It was deeply unsettling and Dean could only wonder what it was that made his heart plummet at the simple gesture. 

*****  
*Damon

‘ _Poor kid still doesn’t seem to get it_.’ Damon smirked at the hurtful understanding dawning on the freckled face of the Hunter standing in his parlor. Of course he didn’t understand. Hunter’s only ever think about themselves and what happens around them. All Hunters are the same. ‘ _All of them, except for Y/N_.’ Damon mused silently to himself as his gaze went back to regard you as you and Caroline started chatting happily about what they both have been up to almost as if they hadn’t been apart for more than a day. He was loving this. Just you stepping back into the house had already started to make the old place feel lighter and more homie again. Damon had been devoid of that feeling for so long now that it was like a rush of the warmth of the sun as he watched you smile and hug Caroline, Tyler and Matt again before letting the bouncy blonds and brooding wolf-boy lead you over to the bar where he was sitting to grab a few more bottles of the good, expensive liquor Damon always hid when he had guest’s.

“Nope.” Damon said chastely as Matt reached for one of his more aged bottles of Craig. “You want the cheap young stuff over there in the other cabinet.” Damon smirked as Matt gave him an eye roll and a disbelieving huff. “C’mon Damon.” He prodded. “You never used to let Y/N drink anything but the good stuff. Why’re you being stingy now?” He asked, making a grab for the bottle again before Damon yanked it further out of his reach and chuckled. “I never said Y/N couldn’t drink it Donavan.” He supplied as he reached down into the little bar prep area and grabbed another crystal glass and unscrewing the lid to the Craig before pouring a generous amount into it and swirling the liquid in the glass before presenting it to you. “I just said that **you** will want to drink the other cheap alcohol and leave the good stuff to those who can appreciate it better.” Damon gave you that soft side smile that was so familiar to you and his dead heart practically leaped as he saw that shy blush color the smooth skin of your cheeks.

You took the glass with your head dipped in a slight bow as you sipped the aged Craig and a foggy memory came to Damon as he watched you. Another time when you had first sipped the strong liquor in Damon’s presence. 

*Flashback*

“Surprised to see you haven’t skipped town yet sweetheart.” Damon smirked as he took the barstool next to you and placed the liquor store bag on the seat on the other side of him. You blew out a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling of the Grill as you sighed. “Oh goody.” You said with a sneer. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Vampire?” You barely breathed the last word so that only he could hear you. Damon chuckled when he saw you roll your eyes and take a sip from the glass that smelled strongly of Crown Royal. “Feisty little Huntress aren’t you?” Damon commented as he held up a hand at the bartender to get her attention. “Two fresh glasses please.” When she walked away with a quick ‘Coming right up’, Damon pulled the bottle out of the bag he had been carrying up onto the bar and broke open the seal before twisting off the cap. 

You finally looked at him then, (y/e/c) eyes catching his gaze in a perfect mix of boredom, irritation and grief. Damon’s dead heart ached just the tiniest amount at seeing the pain hidden there in those gorgeous (y/e/c) depths, and he smiled gently at you as your eyebrows scrunched together while you regarded him coldly. “What do you want, Vampire?” You turned sideways in the stool in order to face him better. “Feeling territorial?” You huffed, irritation taking over as the dominant of your emotions at the moment. “Don’t worry, as soon as I’m drunk enough to think getting on the road while blitzed is a good idea, I’m gone.” You slid off of your seat, slamming your empty glass of Black Crown Royal you had been nursing since earlier in the night on the wood top before swinging around to walk away. “Hey, wait.” Damon said gently and suddenly his hand wrapped around your upper arm softly to hold you in place as he slipped off of his own stool to press closer into your space. 

He knew this was a very stupid and very dangerous thing to do. Putting your hands on a Vampire Hunter in general was idiotic but touching one that was currently emotionally distressed while being a Vampire and having something to do with the reason why said Huntress was currently distressed was inconceivably moronic. But even with that logic at the forefront of Damon’s mind, he pushed it aside in order to repeat himself. “Wait.” Damon asked again, his voice going incredibly soft as he leaned down slightly to look into your partially glazed eyes. You were doing your best to glare at him but with how boozed up you already were it was hard to keep your focus on the slightly blurring image that was Damon Salvatore the hundred plus year old Vampire. 

“I don’t think it’s really a good idea for you to be driving right now Angel Face.” Damon tried to cut up his concern for your state of unrest with a poor attempt at humor. Evidently it worked since he watched as you groaned and slumped slightly in his hold. “That’s a horrible name.” You mumbled and Damon laughed, low but strong. “I think it suits you.” He said, reaching to push your chin upwards in order to make your eyes meet his. He stared at you for a long while and as he saw the tears begin to well in your eyes, he wrapped one arm around your waist and pulled you closer as he spoke down to you. “Have a drink with me.” He offered in a low whisper.

You had taken a moment to think about the invitation, at least, Damon thought that’s what you were doing given the dazed look in your eyes. It made him smile again as he watched you sigh a second time and nod as you pulled yourself back onto the barstool and slumped over the bar as you grabbed at your empty glass. He pushed it away from your groping fingers before you could grab it. The waitress came back with the two fresh glasses and as she looked at the bottle of obviously outside bought alcohol she tried to speak, but Damon caught her gaze quickly and quickly compelled her to forget about the bottle as he poured some of the Craig into your dark bar glass. She took the dirty glass and walked away afterwards.

Damon turned back around to give you one of the glasses and watched as you brought it to your lips and threw back the large amount of liquid in one go. Damon blinked with eyes the size of saucers as you put the glass back on the countertop and leaned your forehead on your forearm and heaved a heavy breath down onto the black polyurethane stained wood. “Wow. Okay, maybe we should try moderation.” Damon supplied when he reached over and filled the glass again. Once he passed it back over to you, he had put a hand over the rim of the glass when it looked like you were just going to knock it back again. When you turned your drunken glare on the Vampire, he just smiled softly and put his hand over yours where it wrapped around the glass. “Here, Craig is supposed to be sipped so you can leisurely enjoy the drink and to get the strongest buzz out of the alcohol.” Damon had instructed, almost as if he were teaching about the beauty of life while referring to the amber spirits in the glass in front of you. 

You had rolled your eyes and set the glass down on the bar before leveling a quizzical and suspicious, albeit a dazed, look at Damon. “Seriously,” You began, a slight slur from the ‘S’ to the ‘R’ noticeable in your speech though you continued nonetheless. “What are you doing?” You leaned a little closer to Damon as you squinted a venomous glare at him. “I tried to kill you. My partner, almost killed your little girlfriend. Why are you being so friendly, and more importantly, why are you here?” Your voice was low and barely audible but surprisingly coherent. Damon didn’t honestly know when you had started drinking away your sorrows but the strong smell of booze practically radiated off of you for miles. Damon was the type of man who had very little pity for people who fucked with him or his brother and he especially didn’t give a shit about anyone who would go after Elena the way your partner had; Kidnapping her and using her as bait to lure out he and Stefan to where they would be easy kills for you to stake hadn’t been the best way to get on the Salvatore brothers’ good side. 

But Damon had seen you when he and his brother tracked Elena down. You had been pleading with your partner to let Elena go. You had also ordered him countless amount of times to drop the knife he had been holding to Elena’s throat. That the hunt was over and that the both of you were leaving. The blond haired dude didn’t want to though, and had even pointed the blade at you when you tried to untie Elena. You had morals. You had boundaries and that had confused Damon, being that you were a Hunter. You had surprised him, and that wasn’t something that happened often. Damon was determined to know more about you. 

He took his hand away from where it lay close to yours on the bar top and picked up his own glass as he turned in his seat to look at you head on. “I’m offering you a drink.” He said with a snarky attitude. “You aren’t the typical Hunter, and you peaked my interest enough to make me want to get to know you.” Damon raised an eyebrow in challenge. “And you saved Elena. I figured I owed you.” Damon watched as you huffed and grabbed the glass again in a tight hold. “You don’t owe me a damn thing Vampire.” You practically growled. “My job is to save people from monsters. That includes the monsters that happen to be human. Your girlfriend is no exception.” You mumbled, taking a sip from the Craig and sighing when you swallowed. 

Surprisingly, Damon had smiled at you. “Good to know.” He said and raised his glass before taking a big sip of the strong liquid. You sighed heavily again and stared at your glass intently as you slurred again. “Really, what do you want from me Vampire?” You asked again, obviously too drunk to care but not drunk enough to let it go. “If you want to kill me you’re in for a surprise.” You turned your glare on him and Damon watched in stunned silence as the haze of alcohol fled from your eyes for the moment to be replaced by hard and dangerous rage. Damon tensed for a moment before he willed himself to relax. Instead of addressing the sudden change, he shook his head, and changed the topic. “No, I’m not here for that.” He whispered. “I honestly wanted to just have a drink with you.” Damon gulped as he sunk into his barstool a little more under the intensity of your gaze on him. No one had ever made Damon feel intimidated and awestruck all at once. 

He looked on as your eyes searched his for a long moment before you lowered your proverbial hackles and slumped back in your chair, the drunken glaze returning to your eyes with an heir of grief that made Damon want to reach out and take a hold of your hand. After another beat, that’s exactly what he did and when you turned to look at him again, he gave you a sad look before saying, “I’m sorry about your friend.” And he meant it. That kid had been your friend and though he had seen you fight with him, Damon also saw the heartbreak behind it. He watched as your eyes widened slightly and the light returned for just a moment before it flickered and dimmed until it died again. But even as it left Damon saw your shoulders stiffen a bit more, not with grief, but with strength. Resolve. After another moment, you nodded and the faintest of smiles tugged at your lips. “Thank you.” You whispered softly and raised your glass to down the rest of the Craig.

Damon matched your smile as he asked for your glass again to fill it up once more as well as his own. He raised the glass to you and tipped it slightly. Inviting. “I’m Damon.” He said, leaving the want for an introduction hanging in the air between the two of you for a long moment before he saw the ghost of a smile blossom on your gorgeous lips into a genuine half grin. The blush of alcohol induced blood colored your cheeks warmly as you sipped from the Craig again. When you turned to regard him for another moment, head slightly dipped in shyness, you huffed a short laugh and raised your glass to touch his gently before saying, “I’m Y/N.”

*End Flashback*

Damon blinked and he was back in the present. He sat and watched with a fond smile as he saw you in all your old habits shake your head, smile slightly while pressing the crystal to your lips and close your eyes while sipping slowly from the Craig, just like he had showed you all those years ago. He knew you were finally enjoying and appreciating the vintage. It made something deep in Damon’s undead heart burn before ultimately shattering when Dean’s arm suddenly draped around your body. Holding you close to his front as he tucked his head into the crook of your shoulder. Not many things could hurt Damon like this anymore. Even Stefan leaving hadn’t torn out his heart like this. Damon was floundering. On the inside, he was burning. It was like dying all over again. 

Then suddenly, the smile fell from your lips and you looked up at Damon while curled in Dean’s arms. And just like that, the same flashback passed through your beautiful eyes as you looked at him and Damon’s unneeded breath hitched in his throat as he saw the torrent of emotion flood your eyes then disappear almost as quickly. A spark of something akin to pain ignited in Damon’s chest and he felt the old fire of possessiveness over what was and _should_ be his roar to life like the licking flames of a starting inferno. In Damon’s mind, he had been right. You had settled for Dean. This Hunter. Now that you were home, he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to win back the love of his life. He wouldn’t let the past five years of grieving, and searching and wallowing in self-pity hinder his chances at coaxing you back to him. You were his. He was yours. And for the first time in a long time, Damon could see new hope crest over that dark horizon. Now all he had to do was remind you why you loved him first.

*****

Damon and you had synched just then. ‘ _No. There’s no way_.’ You thought, more than a little daunted at what you had just seen in Damon’s eyes. Dean however, didn’t seem to notice as he continued to hug you from behind. Even going so far as to gently rub his stubble coated cheek and chin into the curve of your neck as he reached for your glass and brought it up to his nose to sniff before putting it back on the bar top with a look of revulsion. “How can you drink that stuff Y/N?” The answer just seemed automatic even while your eyes never left Damon’s. “It’s an acquired taste.” You watched as Damon’s gaze shifted upwards ever so slightly and turned from a solemnly soft smile back to the familiar arrogant grin he used to get when you walked away from a flirty patron at the Grill to go talk with Damon instead. 

You looked up to see Dean glaring back at the vampire with a bit of a bow in his form, indicating he knew exactly where you had ‘Acquired’ the taste of this specific alcohol. You huffed, frustrated that the two men were still acting like spoiled children. From where you sat, you could easily see Jeremy sitting on the other side of Damon smirk at the ‘Alpha Male’ posturing display and shake his head at the two before downing the yellowish contents of his shot glass. When he looked back and you caught his gaze you threw him a warning glance and he pressed his lips together in a tight line, hiding the smile but still so obviously amused as you were annoyed. You sighed internally before turning back to look at your drink and discretely shrugging off Dean’s encircling arms. It was going to be one hell of a long night if this is how they planned to behave.

Suddenly, two familiar presences poked at your extended senses and you froze, glass poised to be drank from and halfway to your lips. Caroline, who had taken up the seat beside you, turned around as she sensed the newcomer as well and a flashy grin plastered itself onto her face as she beckoned them closer. “Elena, Bonnie. You’ll never guess who just showed up.” She said wryly and placed a gentle hand on your arm as she urged you to turn around. You took a deep breath and put the drink down on the bar as you pulled Dean to one side to stay at your back as you turned around to face your once best friend. … Hopefully still your best friend. And the girl who came up behind the brunette who was looking equally surprised and unbelieving as Elena. 

You drew up the courage to smile gently at the two girl’s still staring at you intensely. “Hey Bonnie.” You said softly, addressing the witch first before shifting your gaze to a stone statue of Elena. “Hello Elena.” And your voice was full of the same fondness you had used all the time around the girl all those years ago. You slipped off of your stool, noting that Damon shifted uncomfortably before you walked closer to the pair, stopping only a few feet in front of them. Which quickly became pointless as the duo tackled you in a bone crushing hug. “Where the hell have you been, Y/N?!” Bonnie ground out from where her head was pressed into one side of your neck. “We thought you were dead!” Elena choked out, her tears evident in her voice as well as the feel of them sliding down the other side of your neck. 

You squeezed them even harder in your hold, both providing comfort to your friends as well as affirming to yourself that this moment was real. That this feeling was real. The sting of tears began to fill your eye’s again but this time they held back on their own. “It’s a pretty long story, girl’s.” You murmured and took a deep breath to help steady yourself. You pulled back slightly in order to look down into their awestruck and tear streaked faces. “How about we all get a drink and I’ll tell you all about it?” You said with a smile tugging at the corners of your lips.

*****

And boy did you drink. A lot. Seeing everyone together again had opened up old wounds and the girly emotional way of dealing with the issue was not your first option. So instead, you introduced Dean to Bonnie and Elena the same way you had with Matt and Tyler, then you took the bottle of Craig Damon had opened for you and ushered everyone to the couch where you began to explain where you had been for the past five and a half years. The bottle was nearly three quarters of the way gone by the time you finished. “So basically what your saying is that those assholes that swept into town that one night at the Grill had buddies and you took off to keep them away from us.” Matt said, shifting against the wall where he stood beside the fireplace. 

You sighed heavily and nodded as you filled your glass with more Craig. “Yeah. That about sums it up.” You mumbled. “After I left I just, fell back into my old lifestyle. Spent the better half of almost six years with my head down until I met Dean.” You inclined your head in Dean’s direction as you finished and took another sip from your glass. The buzz of the alcohol finally starting to kick in. Dean shifted his hand that was currently laid over the backrest of the couch to brush his fingers soothingly over your bare skin beneath the sleeve of your shirt. It was a gesture of comfort you immediately saw being tracked by Elena, Caroline and Bonnie’s gazes. Dean sat beside you with one arm draped over the back of the sofa behind you and now his fingers were drawing little circles into your flesh as a sign of distraction and comfort. The position didn’t go unnoticed by any your friends. 

“So are you two like, together?” Caroline said in her bubbly voice as she curled against Tyler on the loveseat across from you and Dean. You squinted at her as she tried to suppress the light smile she wanted to display. You really wish she hadn’t brought it up. You knew how they had all felt about you being with Damon all those years ago but they had at least acknowledged that he was a different person when you were with him. You leaving didn’t mean your feelings for Damon had changed. It was because of those feelings that you had decided to leave to protect all of them in the first place. 

That realization rang like a gong in your head. Your feelings hadn’t changed. You still loved Damon. A sharp pang of guilt struck your heart as you analyzed that. You looked at Dean then, and everything seemed to come to a screeching halt. His green eyes were soft yet guarded. Like he knew exactly what you were thinking. The thought of Damon abruptly seemed to vanish to be replaced by a sort of memory montage of your time with Dean. Small moments like all the times you were able to make him smile or laugh after a long hunt. When you would wake up from a nightmare without making a sound and feel Dean’s arms wrapped around your body. Turning over ever so gently just to see his sleeping face without the harsh lines of alertness distorting his features. This was a different sort of realization. You loved Damon, but you _were_ with Dean now. You smiled at him and raised your hand to the one he was still drawing circles into your arm with to twine your fingers with his.

“Yeah.” You said softly and it was as much a confirmation as anything. You turned to look at the absolutely giddy faces of Caroline and Elena and smiled at them. “We are.” Then from the corner of your eye you watched Damon get up and move to the bar once more. You turned and looked after the leaving form of his dark profile as he moved away from the giddiness of the girls sitting with their own beloveds as well as Elena. You could already feel the slip in your control to chase after Damon and instead focused on Elena and the lack of a certain Hero Haired younger Salvatore. 

“Where’s Stefan?” That seemed to quiet the girls obsessive giggling as Elena looked down and Caroline jerked her attention to Elena. If that hadn’t been odd enough, you had even caught sight of Damon freezing in his tracks as well. Before you could wonder what was wrong with Damon, Elena spoke up. “We don’t really know for sure.” She murmured. She took a moment to take in a deep breath before sighing heavily. “He sends us post cards every now and then, saying that he’s ok. The last one we got was from some town in Washington.” You noticed when her arms curled tighter to her body and rubbed as if she were trying to shake off residual cold or something. “That was about a week ago.” She said and refused to speak again. They had explained some of what had been happening in the last five years to you in private when Dean had been kept busy with the boys, mostly Jeremy and Matt, by playing a drinking game over by the bar earlier in the party. 

Alaric had died as a result of the Originals’ mother coming back to life and cursing him to become a Vampire, Vampire Hunter like her husband before him. She had tied his life to the Doppelganger, aka Elena, and when Rebekka made Matt drive off of Wickery Bridge, Elena had died which then caused Alaric’s death as well. But Elena had had Damon’s blood in her system when she died so she was brought back as a Vampire. Jeremy had nearly died trying to put Klaus down for good. Damon had apparently been gone for about a year supposedly looking for you. Bonnies’ mother became a Vampire. Tyler lost his mother and Caroline lost her father. There had been a cure that the gang had tried to acquire for Elena but in order to get it they had to raise the first ever Immortal being.

Elena had taken it upon herself to destroy all possible leads to the cure and the Immortal that she could, taking a stand at living with her new life as a Vampire rather than raise a monster that no one was sure they would be able to put back down afterwards. Stefan had supposedly been so upset with her that he had left but you didn’t think that that meant he had left and never came back afterwards. There was some other piece to this story. Something Elena wasn’t sharing and by the look of sympathy and unease Caroline and Bonnie kept throwing between the two of you, it had to be something pretty drastic to make Stefan leave, Elena look so uncomfortable and the dark figure of Damon move away further until he finally gave in and just left the room altogether.

‘What the hell was that all about?’ You thought, a bit heartbrokenly. Damon was many things but the one thing he prided himself on was his devotion to his brother. His willingness to be the bad guy of any situation if doing the hard thing was the only way to save someone he loves. For Damon to be here in Mystic Falls and not with Stefan and more importantly not even knowing where his baby brother was, made no type of sense to you whatsoever. You looked back to Elena who was pouring a large amount of Jameson Whiskey into her own glass before leaning back and downing half of the liquid in one go. For a moment, she was your best friend again. The girl you had thought of as a little sister who was dating your boyfriends little brother. ‘ _So what the fuck happened to her_?’ You watched Elena for a long moment just stare out into the distance before noticing she was staring after the open door where Damon and disappeared through. Your gaze continued to burn into her before she turned and caught your eye. You raised one eyebrow as she began to fidget under the heavy scrutiny. 

At the prod, she took a deep breath. “Stefan left…” She began, her voice barely above a whisper that made Jeremy shift from where he was sitting beside his sister and Matt who was sitting in the leather chair beside them looked down at the beer in his hands. ‘ _What the actual fuck is going on_?’ You thought, starting to get irritated with all the fucking secrets. “Stefan left town because Damon and I…” She trailed off again. “We kind of… We started…” The poor girl was at a loss for words but having been through something like this before in a different relationship, and with a different sister, you kind of already knew what she was trying to say. And damn if it didn’t piss you the fuck off.

You sighed heavily and downed the rest of your drink turning to press further into Dean for a moment before leaning up to whisper in his ear. “Baby, it’s late. How about you head back upstairs and get the bed ready so we can sleep?” You purred against him and you knew that nearly everyone in the circle could hear what you said, but Dean didn’t. He turned his head to look at you for a moment with a frown etched onto his brow. Another moment and he finally sighed before he leaned in to kiss your cheek. “Don’t take long.” He murmured before getting up from the couch. “It was nice meeting you guys.” Dean said politely and waved before moving around the couch and heading towards the Hall that would lead back upstairs. Everyone still sitting around in the circle murmured good nights and ‘Good meeting you too Dean.’ Before he turned down the hall and disappeared to head back to his room upstairs. 

You set your glass down on the side table beside your arm of the couch and instead picked up the bottle of Craig in one hand and took a long pull straight from the bottle. You liked the burn of the alcohol as it slithered down your throat in that moment. You turned to stare at the fire crackling in the hearth of the fireplace as you felt the burn of alcohol coil in your intestines as it settled warmly in your stomach. You weren’t really too sure how to handle this particular bit of information. 

On the one hand, you had been the one to break up with Damon nearly six whole years ago, and by all rights the man had a right to date whoever the hell he wanted. But then, another part of you couldn’t help but feel that small tendril of betrayal and even a hint of jealousy you felt for a moment. ‘I mean really?’ You thought, slightly heartbroken. Wasn’t there some kind of Girl Code about this sort of thing? The Best friend/ Sister Code or some bullshit like that? ‘ _Isn’t there some scripture that said_ , **Thou shalt not fuck with thy fucking best friends’ ex**!’ _somewhere in that damned rule book_?’ You mused.

After that thought had passed you realized how selfish that sounded. It wasn’t Elena’s fault. ‘ _Fuck it’s not even Damon’s_.’ You thought, that final part defeating the last remanence of your anger though not quite quelling your little green monster completely. You had been the one to leave. Having someone so important to you suddenly vanish from your life made people do strange things. Like pull two people who were complete opposites of each other, like Damon and Elena, together. You sighed and brought your attention back to the present where everyone still sitting in the chairs facing you were fidgeting in their seats or casting apprehensive glances between both you and Elena. Caroline and Bonnie especially, had begun to lean in closer towards Elena and you noticed that Jeremy was in a perfect position to push his sister backwards over the couch if the need for her to get back quickly arose. 

At least some things hadn’t changed amongst your friends. Matt had gotten up and had casually placed a hand on Elena’s arm that you could tell was ready to clamp down and yank her backwards at a moment’s notice. Tyler’s not-so-subtle go-to starting position to block only added in confirming that little suspicion that your friends were ready to try and separate an impending fight should they need to. The operative word being ‘ _Try_.’ If you wanted to fight with Elena, there **would** be a fucking fight. But what was the point in that? You weren’t that kind of person. Even if you _did_ acknowledge that damned little bit of jealousy that still curled through your veins, you would never hurt your friend. Not ever. You shook your head and leaned back against the couch cushions as you settled a half lidded, tired gaze on Elena that she somewhat relaxed under. Though the others didn’t. 

“How long ago did you two break up?” You asked. The question came out flat and in a monotone, like you had completely shut off any emotional attachment to the topic. Technically, you did. Elena bit her lip slightly and looked away before answering with, “We didn’t get together until a year after you disappeared Y/N…” She tried to defend herself. But you just shook your head calmly. “I didn’t ask you that. I asked how long ago did you and Damon break up?” You reiterated the question and this time, after a somewhat long and irritating pause, she answered. 

“Almost a month and a half now.” She muttered, her voice monotone and cold. “We’re working through a few things.” She stated and her gaze rose slightly to meet yours dead on. The last sentence was an obvious statement towards you but the other half of that fact was what really caught your attention. ‘ _Damon had been the one to break up with her_.’ And as petty as it was, a triumphant spark lit in your heart and you had to focus on not smirking. Success. 

Yet the understanding that Elena had basically just teenage-girl-marked her territory over a guy pissed you off. Damon had been yours back when preppy little Elena had been following Stefan around like a lost kitten. Even though you had Dean now and you were happy with Dean, there was still that little part inside of you that absolutely despised being challenged. Elena was trying to prove something here but the only thing that was going to come out of it is her crying if you chose to meet her head on and push her back into her place. She may be like a little sister to you, but **Big** sisters are the ones to be respected. Elena had better remember that fast.  
You could tell that while you stayed here it was going to be a tough time getting along with your former best friend. Even if you told her you weren’t after Damon anymore, that wasn’t going to stop her from feeling threatened. ….. And it wasn’t going to stop you from feeling just the tiniest hint of anger at her for it. If she was going to start her own game of Alpha posturing with you over Damon, it might just be easier to pack and go ask Liz if it’d be ok to stay at the station for the night until Sam and Bobby get into town tomorrow. One thing was for sure. In your eyes, you were way too old to be dealing with this kind of kid shit.

Before you could say anything snide, Caroline spoke up in a forced bubbly voice. “Hey, c’mon guys.” She said, gaining both of your intense gazes at a time. Lucky she was Miss Mystic Falls. You bet that both yours and Elena’s gazes weren’t the easiest glares to remain calm under. “Y/N, you just got home. We haven’t seen you in years.” She said sadly, stating the obvious to hopefully defuse the situation. “Let’s not fight tonight you two. We don’t know how long we’re going to have Y/N for.” She leaned out of Tyler’s tense arm’s for just a moment in order to grab her drink she had set down on the glass table in between of you and her. She tipped it up and gave a dashing little smile. “So let’s all get super trashed with our old friend one more time, yeah?” She said and Tyler instantly picked up the flow of the new subject. “I’ll drink to that.” He said, smiling and leaning in to kiss Car’s cheek longingly. 

“Same here.” Bonnie said as she raised a shot glass of tequila and downed it quickly with a smile at Jeremy. Matt inched a little away from Elena but stayed behind the couch as he grabbed his drink and laughed slightly. “Here, here.” He said and the boys all shook their heads and groaned while the girls, including Elena, giggled at the old and out of date cheer. You watched as the party turned once again back into full swing and vaguely thought that you could see alcohol poisoning for everyone in the near future. 

The conversation with Elena still bugged you though and soon enough, ignoring everyone’s comments of ‘Light weight’ and ‘Can’t hang’ and ‘Where are you going?’, I downed the last of the Craig in the bottle and left the room to go find Dean. You said goodnight and headed towards the exit to the parlor, stopping only to grab a bottle of Johnnie Walker and another clean glass before heading back towards the stairs. You had loved spending the majority of the night with your makeshift family again, and completely letting go had been fun. But the rest of the night belonged to Dean. You’d enjoy burning away the rest of the lining of your stomach with the warm and strong body of Dean lying next to you in a bed even more. It seemed like after this night, you both, needed the comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.... did it make up for it? Just a little? ;) I'm past 100,000 words with this chapter and I'm so happy! thanks everyone for being patient!


	18. Past Mistakes and Present Choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally have time to write again. Now, let me start off with saying sorry for being gone so long. Now, for this chapter, I want to inform you that I ship Delana. But this is not a Damon/Elena story. This is a Damon/you (and Dean/you) story. And I think this little pow-wow has been overdue for quite some time. Again, I'm sorry for not posting recently. I know a few of you asked is I planned to continue it. I ABSOLUTELY plan on finishing it. I hate myself for leaving for so long but Finals are next week and I don't have as much homework anymore! It'll be more consistent now that school is almost over. Much love, and Happy reading!

Your mind was a torrent of emotion. You weren’t exactly sure how to feel or what was even appropriate to feel. Elena had dated Damon. Your best friend had been in an intimate and obviously physical relationship with your ex-boyfriend. Though Damon had apparently ending things with her, Elena still had the gall to defend a claim she no longer _had_ on him. It was all just getting to be a bit too overwhelming. You shook your head. Maybe Dean was right. Maybe it was best if you left with Sam and Bobby first thing when they arrive tomorrow. Everything was just too different here now. What place did you have in it? 

You rounded the corner and walked up the stairs, dragging your feet over the steps and then practically sliding over the floor as you passed Damon’s room. But then, the sound of the old piano in Stephen’s room halted your steps directly in front of the door that had been left ajar. The soft and almost mournful tap of the keys made you lean closer to the opening, and peek inside. Damon sat hunched over the keys, his glass filled and sloshing in the crystal as he continued to plink no specific sequence of tones. Another bottle of Craig lay opened and sitting on the closed top of the polished black piano. The picture of him this way reminded you of when you had your first fight. 

Damon had been so depressed in thinking that you would leave him that he had nearly drained a group of sorority girls dry. The Hunter in you had been horrified and disgusted, but the part of you that had started to develop feelings for the Vampire had felt her heart breaking. ‘ _Are you happy seeing what I turned into after you abandoned me?!_ ’ The Phantom Damon’s voice from the nightmare back in Galena resonated through your mind and you closed your eyes, desperately trying to push it away. You took a deep breath, shoved the dream back into the darkness of your mind, and calmly breathed out again, letting the nightmare fade. 

When you opened your eyes again, you noticed that Damon had stopped playing. You looked back up, you saw Damon staring back at you with wounded ice-blue eyes. For a moment, everything seemed to stop. It was just you and Damon again. Years’ worth of memories conveyed through just a simple meeting of the eyes. Then it ended when his shoulders slumped and his head dropped to break his gaze away from yours. Just as you made a move to push the door out of the way and walk in he began to tap the keys again. Craig sloshed over the side of his glass as he tipped it tiredly at you. “Hey there beautiful.” Damon rasped the old term of endearment before bringing the glass back and downing the contents messily. The exact action that you had done when he had first offered the drink to you. It broke your heart.

“Damon…” You began but you were unable to go on. At a complete and total loss for words. The smart thing would be to back away, shut the door and go back to Dean’s room to finish the bottle of Johnnie Walker still clutched in your fist. But Damon was hurting, and no matter how long it has been, you couldn’t lie to yourself about how you felt about Damon. How you **still** felt about Damon. You hardened your resolve, and pushed the door open to let yourself in, closing it enough just to leave it ajar like it had been before. 

The Vampire didn’t move when you entered. Instead he poured himself another overfilled glass of the strong amber spirit and continuing his steady thrumming of the piano keys. This time, he hit them with more force and no hesitation as he actually _tried_ to play something. After a few keys, you recognized the tempo of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. The solemn sadness in the song only added to the worry steadily growing in your gut. You braved another step, and then another. You kept walking all the way up to the piano where it stood between both of your bodies. You raised the bottle of Johnnie Walker, as well as the two glasses, and set them down noiselessly on the top of the polished wood beside the bottle of Craig. With your hand still closed around the neck of the bottle you lowered your head down to rest on your other arm that lay on the black top as well. 

You listened to him play out the sonata, closing your eyes and letting the sound of the music flood your senses, exhaling softly when the feeling traveled through the old scar on your back. Just as the tension was easing, Damon missed a note. Glass broke and the sound of his hand slamming down on multiple keys at a time made you jerk back harshly, nearly pulling both bottles of alcohol off the piano top with you. You stared wide-eyed at Damon’s slumped form against the key bar. The glass lay in shattered remanences on the ground, the alcohol slowly spreading out of the puddle and seeping greedily into the dry wooden boards it traveled over. A drop of blood added to the honey colored liquid and your gaze traveled up to stare horrified at the gash running along Damon’s palm. Undoubtedly from crushing the glass in his hand.

The wound wasn’t deep and it was already healing, shoving the small bits of glass out of the cut as it did. But just seeing the blood drip down his hand and knowing that he was burning on the inside prompted your next move. You let go of the bottle, tore a piece of cloth from your shirt, and stepped around the piano to stand in front of Damon. You reached down and took his healing hand in yours, bringing it up to begin wiping at the remaining glass shards and blood drops still plastered to his skin. Damon’s head shot up to stare at you through astonished pale blue eyes but you kept your focus on cleaning the wound as it healed quickly. 

You looked over the hand intensely, trying to see if anything else needed to be done but there was nothing. You set the hand back down on Damon’s knee and turned to meet his still immensely focused gaze that had flushed with a hint of cobalt around his irises. The longing and sadness you saw there had you biting your lip and you moved to take a step back. As soon as your foot planted behind you and began pulling your body backwards with it, Damon’s hand shot out and gripped your own in a strong hold. It didn’t hurt, but he held on tight enough for you to understand he didn’t want you to move away. Against your better judgement, you retracted your step and stood in front of Damon again. 

A heavy silence hung between you as Damon’s eyes roamed from your face to where he still held your hand. Minutes ticked by as you relented to his desire to analyze nearly every patch of skin he could see. His thumb ran over the faded scars on your hands. Those had been from crawling through a maze of thorns to go after a Fairy that had been stealing first-borns from Portland, Oregon. His hand moved up from there to run lightly along the skin from the inside of your elbow up to disappear beneath the sleeve of your shirt in a thin pearly white line. That one had been from a Demon in Manhattan. The bastard came after you with a knife and you couldn’t get out of the way fast enough. In your defense, you had been a little preoccupied fighting with the other two to see the one sneaking up behind you. 

“So many new ones.” You heard him mumble, his voice hardly more than a whisper. His gaze traveled to your chest and you didn’t have to look to know which scar had caught his attention there. An Incubus had tried to stick a blade in your heart after you had stumbled upon their den in a hunt in L.A. Luckily you had moved to the side at the last moment but the blade had glanced off your collarbone and left a pretty long gash the length of two fingers running back into the neckline of your shirt. Damon’s mood was throwing deeply unsettling feelings out into the air around you both so you grasped for something to say that would distract him from the morbidity of cataloguing your new scars. Humor was the first thing that came to mind. 

“Hey come on now Damon.” You began, trying hard to put as much laughter and even a little seductive teasing into your tone. Thank God it didn’t sound like you were trying to force it. This whole plan would fail if your efforts resulted in you sounding like a drowning cat. “You’re usually the life of the party when everyone is here drinking **your** booze.” You brought up your other hand and playfully tried to muss up his hair. You stopped when he leaned back just an inch. Anyone else wouldn’t have noticed, but _you_ knew the boundary line and it wouldn’t be smart to test Damon right now. Though regardless of his actions, your comment _did_ seem to bring a small smile to Damon’s stony lips. Albeit a sad one. “Not that much of a partier these days Y/N.” He said, again his voice barely audible. 

Damon shifted then and seemed to contemplate something deeply as he stared at where his hand still touched you. After another moment, that same hand slowly slid down your arm and moved around it to cup your hip. He studied your face for a good thirty seconds for any discomfort before the hand pulled slightly, making you take a step closer. Once you did, his hand moved to the small of your back and pulled you even closer as he spread his legs, positioning you in between them as he leaned in the rest of the way and just held you. You heard Damon take in a shuddering breath as he pressed the side of his head to your abdomen, settling his skull directly between your breasts as he nuzzled into your body.

You knew this was a mistake. Every strand of common sense told you to break his hold and back away. That you should be looking for Dean. That you should be with _Dean_. That you should only be letting **Dean** hold this way. But your heart, your body and even your mind was telling common sense to go jump off a cliff. Damon was hurting. Damon was scared. And Damon needed you right now to make everything better. To make the pain go away. You couldn’t ignore that. Couldn’t ignore _him_. So, you relented. 

Your arms came up hesitantly before wrapping around Damon’s shoulders firmly. Pulling him into a warm embrace that triggered so many memories from the past that you felt a bit dizzy. It only made you hold on tighter. While he sat there in your hold, he reached behind him and began to stroke the piano keys once more. This time, the tune was that of Mozart’s Music of Angels. Even one-handed, Damon played it beautifully. 

Memories flooded your mind as the music filled your heart and spread through every vein. One arm snaked up to wrap gently around his head, anchoring a hand in the soft strands of his midnight hair as your chin ducked to rest on his crown. After a moment, you began to hum your mothers lullaby. The tune matched so well with the piano it almost seemed to be part of the same song. When he stopped playing, you hummed the ending to the verse you were on before running your fingers through the feathery soft strands of hair at the nape of his neck. You even chuckled slightly when he hooked his other arm back around to circle your waist. A moment of peace settled over you both for a moment before you ventured further again.

“Penny for your thoughts?” You whispered into his hair and his body quaked against you, drawing a smile onto your lips.

*****

*Damon

‘ _Oh, it’s worth so much more than a penny_.’ Damon thought as he breathed in your wonderfully familiar scent. Damon couldn’t help it when you were this close to him. He knew that holding you like this was also hurting you but you still allowed it just because you knew it would help _him_. This was the Y/N he remembered. This was the Y/N he _knew_. He inhaled again, drawing the air deep into his lungs to allow your scent to sooth his ridged body. It helped a little. 

You didn’t rush him, though he knew you _did_ expect an answer. He took another few deep breaths, and sighed heavily, knowing what you both had to discuss. “I uh,… I saw you.” Damon murmured, wetting his lips before continuing. “Talking with Elena, I mean.” Damon heard your breath catch in your chest and your arms suddenly tightened a small amount around him. If he had been human, he wouldn’t have noticed. Unfortunately, he did. Damon’s eyes squeezed tight and he just hoped that you wouldn’t pull away from him. It would kill him. After another moment, your arms loosened up again, much to Damon’s disappointment, and he sighed as you ran your fingers through his hair again, though this time the reservation within the movement was palpable. 

“Yes.” You began and your chin dropped to rest on his head again. “I did. It was… informative.” The slight edge in your voice hinted to the feeling of hurt and even betrayal that you felt. It made Damon wince and his hold tightened a bit more. The thought of you leaving him behind again was starting to become a very real fear. It made him feel sick. “She told you.” It wasn’t a question. More of a way to voice how truly fucked up his life has been since he lost you. The sigh he heard pass your lips confirmed it too. 

“Did you really think that I wouldn’t find out Damon?” Honestly, he had been hoping you never would. “I mean really?” Yeah, he really fucking hoped you’d never find out. He could practically feel his heart ripping apart again inside his chest. He heard you sigh again and felt you shift enough in his hold to run your hand through your own hair in frustration. Damon had to do something before he lost you again. He let words spill from his mouth before he had the opportunity to think about what was being said.

“What happened between me and Elena was a mistake.” Oooookay, yeah. That was awful. Damon stuttered trying to think of the right way to backtrack from that. “Ok, at first, it was just a mutual need for someone to be there.” Yeah this conversation was **not** going the way Damon thought it would. You pulled out of his hold a bit as he continued. “You left, and both of us were a wreck Y/N.” Damon gathered the strength to look up and meet your gaze. You were staring at him with a raised eyebrow and a bewildered look on your face. “You were my girlfriend. I loved you.” Damon put everything into saying those words. Hoping that what you two had once shared would stir in your heart the way it still did in Damon’s. 

“You and Elena were best friends and she loved you too. When we thought we lost you, we just….” Damon paused, blinking hard as his eyes blurred ever so slightly. “We just got closer.” One arm unwound from around your waist and he brought the hand up to rub, frustrated, at his forehead. “After you left I took off for a year hopping from state to state looking for you. When I came back empty handed, everyone was just looking at me like they pitied me and I hated it.” Damon ground his teeth together as he recalled all the tiptoeing everyone had done around him for the next few months. Except Elena hadn’t done that. If anything, she had been the one to tell him to man up and move on. Damon had appreciated that she hadn’t treated him like a kicked puppy. Instead, she had forced him to leave his room and be a part of everyone’s lives again. He had needed that back then. But now? The past he had with Elena could threaten to shatter his chances at getting his love back. The chance at getting _you_ back.

“Elena refused to leave me alone. She wouldn’t let me stay away from everyone and she dragged me out of a really dark place.” Damon’s voice cracked but he could see in your eyes how his explanation wasn’t doing anything but causing a deeper crease between your perfect eyebrows. But he couldn’t make it stop. The floodgate of words had burst open and now everything was flowing out. “We started dating thirteen months after you left. Just two months after I came back and started hitting the bottle hard.” Damon took a deep breath and sighed heartbrokenly at the inevitable direction this conversation had gone in such a short time. “She helped me.” He couldn’t keep himself from at least giving Elena that bit of credit. 

As he continued to look up at your beautiful face, he watched it turn from curious, to focused, to angry. The scowl made Damon wince but he’d had a feeling you would think that way. He couldn’t blame you. “So I just got challenged in a high school girl, territory-marking display with my best friend because you both got bitch slapped by a case of Hero Syndrome?” You growled down at Damon and pried yourself out of his hold. “That’s perfect Damon. Really, thanks for clearing that up.” Damon instantly reached out towards you, unable to stop the pain the sudden disconnection had just caused. You backed away further, anguish and anger dancing brightly in your eyes as you walked back around the piano and reached for your bottle of Johnnie still sitting on the polished wooden cover. Damon was fast enough to trap your hand in his just before you could pull away. You glared at him and Damon could feel a thundering of different emotions storm in his chest. Anxiety, worry and…. excitement? 

Damon managed to push the feeling away as he focused on you again. “Y/N wait, what the hell are you talking about?” He honestly had no idea what you had just said but then again, women were just so hard to read when they were emotional. Especially when they were jealous. That thought gave him pause. Were you jealous? Damon had only ever seen you this way a handful of other times. Granted, not nearly as angry but parts of it were the same. He shook the thought away though so that he could focus on the task at hand. “What the fuck is ‘Hero’ syndrome?” Damon’s mood had shifted along with yours and now he was more sour and confused over your outburst. Again, women are hard to understand. 

You huffed. “Hero syndrome is what happens when someone comes along at a difficult time in your life and they are nice to you.” You yanked on your hand and Damon let go instantly, not wanting to hurt you by tightening the hold he had on it. You rubbed at your wrist once before you continued. “They help you through it and are understanding of your problems and can even relate to your pain in some way.” Damon heard your voice break but you didn’t even acknowledge it. Damon knew how strong you were. There was no way you’d admit you were hurt, even if it was obvious. “Later, you start to fall for that person because of all those different things. You two fell for each other because you became one another’s hero’s.” Damon watched as you winced and the telltale signs of your impending migraine began to affect your composure. 

Damon moved around the piano to stand beside you as you reached up and pressed the heel of your right hand against your temple to help stave off the pain. He reached out, intending to encircle your wrist and tap against the veins there to help distract you from the pain. You jerked away and stumbled back a few steps from him. It hurt like hell. Damon watched your lip quiver slightly before you inhaled deeply and began to speak again. “Elena all but said you two were going to get back together at _any_ moment. She said that you two were ‘ _working through_ ’ some things, Damon.” You lost your breath for a moment and the heel of your hand pressed harder against your temple. _Fuck it_. Damon couldn’t just watch you rile yourself up to this point. 

Damon stepped forward and gripped your upper left arm gently. You tried to pull out of it but he yanked you forward into his arms and held you tightly against his chest. “Stop Y/N.” He said as he felt you try to get your arm between your chests in order to shove away from him. “You’re getting too frustrated. You’re going to bust a vein if you keep it up.” Damon was only half kidding. He remembered only one time where the migraine had caused something like a seizure to take a hold of your body. It had scared the fuck out of Damon and he vowed he’d never let that happen again. The knowing glare Meredith had shot at him back at the hospital wasn’t necessary but he was glad for the reminder. He had to watch how much he pushed you. Especially when it came to that Hunter down the hall. 

After another moment, he felt you settle down enough to let out a deep breath and most of the tension left your body. Damon reached up and rubbed a hand down the back of your head, sliding his fingers gently through your soft hair. Damon’s dead heart ached as he held you like this again. It was so familiar and he loved it. Without thinking, he turned his head and pressed a possessive kiss against your temple. No more pain. He promised. You shuddered in his hold and burrowed closer to Damon’s chest, completely ignoring what you had tried to prove when you stepped away from him before. Damon smiled as a phantom warmth spread through him. You still loved him.

“Dammit Damon.” He heard you whisper as your fingers dug into the front of his shirt and pulled him closer to you, if that was even possible. “Elena thought I was still after you, and with the fact that you walked out of the room when they started talking about Stefan probably made her think you were ashamed of what being with her did to your brother.” Damon heard the sadness echo in your voice as you took a deep breath and let it go. “She probably thinks that you still want me. Fuck!” Your hands fisted the material of his shirt and he felt two of the middle buttons pop off and hit the wooden floor beneath you. Damon gasped in a tight breath as he looked down at the top of your head. The possessive feelings that he thought had died so long ago began to burn through every muscle and quake in his chest again. It felt thrilling. To have what was once his so close and tearing at his clothes made the predator inside of him excited. ‘ _Just like old times_.’ He thought, trying hard to hold back a dominating growl.

“She’s not wrong.” Damon murmured instead and you froze tense in his arms again. “What?” Your voice was so soft and your mouth was pressed against his chest. Damon felt the warm breath caress his chest beneath the shirt and his lip curled up over his fangs as he suppressed another growl of desire. He took another steady breath and sighed before he repeated, “She’s not wrong Y/N.” Damon’s voice came out tight and a little gruff as he turned his head to place another kiss to the side of your head, catching the lobe of your ear instead of your temple this time. He heard you inhale sharply. “Elena and I broke up because she could tell as well as I could that I had to put in effort to be in a relationship with her.” Damon pulled you closer and held you by your shoulders to keep you there. His mouth continued to talk against your ear and his lips still brushed along your hair and the skin beneath your ear.

“She saw how I was still so hung up on you but she wanted to try and make it work.” Damon said and closed his eyes at the painful memories. Elena hadn’t deserved that. But he had felt so alone. They both had. “After years of lying to myself and having a twisted and toxic relationship ruining both of our lives, I broke it off with her. It wasn’t fair to her to make her suffer in a relationship that wasn’t going to move past the pain.” Damon sighed heavily and some of the desire cooled as he remembered what breaking up with Elena had done. She had been heartbroken. But Damon, though sad that he had hurt her, didn’t mourn the loss of an intimate relationship with her. Stefan had been right. He was poison. ‘ _To everyone but Y/N_.’ He thought as he felt the warmth of your body shift in his hold. He let you pull back just enough so that you could look up at him and Damon’s gaze found yours as he looked deep into those beautiful (y/e/c) eyes of yours.

“I can’t help that I’m still in love with you.” He whispered just before he leaned down and captured your lips. Damon heard you gasp and after a split second you tried to pull away, but he had one arm around your waist and the other pressed up the spine of your back to anchor a hand in the hair at the base of your head. You weren’t going anywhere. The kiss was teasing at first. Damon had wanted to take time in making you remember how he could make you feel but this conversation prompted a change in plans. And by the way he started feeling the tension in your body unravel beneath his touch, the predator inside growled triumphantly that it was working. 

He took his time. None of the roughness from before was in this kiss. It was all about making you remember. About getting you to respond to what obviously was still smoldering in your heart. Damon loved you and he could see that you still loved him. Damon knew you too well. He knew what you liked. He knew what turned you on, and he would use every ounce of knowledge he had to get you back. To Damon, nothing else mattered. Not the heartbreak. Not the pain. Not the year looking for you or the four more he spent with Elena. Not the idiotic and self-damaging choices he made in the spur of the moment. And certainly not that damned boy-toy Hunter holed-up in his house at the end of the hall. Just you. 

The tip of Damon’s tongue traced the lining of your lips, begging for entry before you gasped again and your lips parted enough that he seized the opportunity to invade your mouth with his tongue. God, you tasted so good. Even after undoubtedly drinking copious amounts of alcohol with the kids downstairs, you still managed to taste like something sweet and comforting. Like a mixture of honey and lavender. As his tongue explored every inch of your mouth, he felt your chest expand but it wasn’t from inhaling. No, more like, with feeling. With passion. At that moment, Damon knew he had made you remember. Remember that you had loved him and remembered what it had been like with him. He had won, and the predator inside roared in triumph as you began to kiss him back. 

Damon had avoided being aggressive in case his advancement offended you in any way. But apparently, his efforts were wasted. You crushed your mouth to his, licking into his mouth and biting at his bottom lip. Damon smiled as a growl of desire passed from him into your open mouth. You moaned into the kiss and Damon moved his hands to your hips, taking a firm grip and hauling you upwards against his body so that you could wrap your legs around his hips. The kiss broke for only a second before you reached up and pressed both palms of your hands against each side of his face, holding him steady before you leaned down and began to devour his mouth again. Fuck, this was hot. Every fiber in Damon’s body was screaming to take you to his room, lock the door and barricade you both in it until neither of you could even remember your own names apart from a series of moans. 

But straight up sex wasn’t going to help remind you why you loved him. The connection was. He raised you a little higher as he turned around and moved towards the piano, leaning over slowly and gently laying you down over the polished top. Mindful of the two bottle of alcohol still sitting there as well. The kiss broke by the shift in position and both you and Damon were panting in an effort to catch your breaths. Damon’s hands slid all over your body, mapping every curve of muscle and every bump of a new scar. “I love you.” Damon purred as he set his forehead down in the center of your abdomen. His hands lowered to the hem of your shirt and slid beneath the material to dance gently across the soft skin of your belly. “I’ve missed you so much. I love you Y/N.” He said and angled his head to press a kiss above your now exposed navel. He heard you suck in a sharp breath. “I…” You began and suddenly, you tensed under him. A second of immobilized silence later and suddenly Damon was shoved away from you. The fire in Damon’s belly died down as he looked back at you through wide, bewildered eyes. 

“Y/N…” Damon began and tried to take a step closer to you. “Stop Damon.” You ordered, but your voice was soft and held none of the authority you wanted to put behind the words. Regardless though, Damon took a step back and stayed there. It was like something had just metaphorically slapped you out of the bliss you both had been sharing just a moment before. His spirits plummeted. He had been so close. He watched you take a deep breath before speaking again, hopping down from the piano top as you did so and yanked your shirt back down from where Damon had hiked it up around your ribs. “You can’t keep doing this Damon.” You said, your voice shaky but Damon couldn’t detect any fear. The sweet scent of your arousal permeated the air and tickled his nose. It was faint but it was there. Just enough to keep his dick uncomfortably hard in his pants.

“I’m sorry that me being here has thrown you back into turmoil but I can’t help it.” You sounded like you were apologizing. But for what, Damon did not know. Then you continued. “Until my friends come into town tomorrow to pick us up Dean and I have to stay in Mystic Falls. And until the Impala is repaired we can’t leave Virginia.” You hadn’t been looking at him at all while you spoke. You had kept your eyes down instead, opting to study the floor. But now you braved raising your eyes to look into his. The look of torment haunted your gaze and Damon knew exactly what was going through your head. Damon didn’t want to hear his worst fear be confirmed. He tried to stop you. “Y/N wait, we can…” He had taken a few quick steps closer to you but you backed up again and continued. “But that doesn’t mean we have to stay in the Boarding house.”

No… No please. Damon couldn’t lose you again. Not again. Anything but that! “Y/N please, don’t do this to me.” He begged and took another step towards you that was rewarded with a step back. “Not again baby, please.” Damon had prided himself on being the man that would never beg for anything. Once upon a time, Damon would have rather died than give anyone the power to call him to heel this way. But you had _always_ been his weakness. He would do absolutely _anything_ for you. And that included begging for you not to leave him. But you shook your head firmly. “Dean and I can go stay in the next town.” You supplied and Damon could practically see his world physically break in half.

“That way you don’t have to see me and you won’t have to feel this pain inside every time we’re around each other.” Damon was already shaking his head ‘no’ to this devastating plan. He didn’t want to hear this. “You think it hurts me that now I have the chance to see you again?” He asked, his voice trembling as a scowl began to spread across his face. “It fucking hurt me when I didn’t get a **choice** on ever seeing you again.” A growl ripped from Damon. His heart was breaking and you thought it was because he didn’t want to _see_ you? ‘ _Un-fucking-believable_!’ The only thing that hurts me now is seeing you here, back home but you have **him** with you.” Damon jerked his head towards the door in indication as he moved forward again, ignoring that you backed away again to encroach on your personal space. “You’re denying what you feel for me because of him. **That** is what’s hurting me Y/N.” By the way your brows knitted together and anger replaced a good portion of the sadness in your eyes with defensive fury, Damon could tell he just pushed a boundary. He had hurt you by insulting your Hunter but Damon couldn’t find a single fuck to give at this moment. He continued.

“What are you doing with a guy like that anyways Y/N?” Damon growled as he stopped a foot in front of you. “The stink of death is so bad around him that I half expected him to turn around and start eating everyone. He smelled worse than those walking talking corpses you went to take down a few months after you decided to stay here.” Damon was close to losing it. If he was still alive, his heart would be pounding against his chest and the power behind his anger would be blinding him. He watched as you looked away and muttered something under your breath. It sounded like, “They’re called Revenants’.” Then your smoldering gaze snapped to his again as you spoke up. “You don’t know anything about Dean, Damon so why don’t you just lay off, alright?” You weren’t backing away now. You stepped forward and wound up nose to nose with him… Sort of. Damon was still slightly taller, but the point was still made. You weren’t going to back down. 

Damon’s eyes narrowed in suspicion and worry. One thing kept rattling around in his head over the determination he saw there in your eyes. His undead heart clenched in his chest as the scowl subsided to be replaced with one of caution and impending sorrow as he prepared to ask his next gut-wrenching question. “Are you in love with him Y/N?” Damon’s tone held the weight of his age as those words passed his lips. He watched as your eyes widened and heard the breath freeze in your lungs. There was a bewildered look that sparked in your eyes deep within the pupil as the question seemed to echo in your mind. Now it was not only making Damon’s heart break again, but this time the damage would be completely unrepairable. The question ran through his mind as well as he watched you ponder your answer. 

‘Did you love Dean?’

*****

It was hardly a fair question, but one you needed to answer. Not just for Damon but for yourself as well. That didn’t make answering it any easier though. You looked away from your ex before sighing. “No.” You said, voice gritted through your teeth and huffed out a frustrated growl. You rubbed a hand across your forehead and looked back at Damon, only to be pinned with scrutiny so intense it prompted you to elaborate. You sighed again. “I mean, I care for Dean deeply.” You began. Stumbling over the words as you tried to explain. 

“But love is a strong word.” You winced. This was already turning into a bad explanation. One of the things both you and Damon had in common. “It’s a strong emotion. To title what I feel for Dean in that way would confuse what we have between each other.” That made sense, right? “Our relationship is new. I can’t just throw a word like that around without for sure feeling it.” You watched as your answer just made Damon blink rapidly three times and the anger faded to confusion. After another moment, the confusion died and understanding was left in its wake. “You don’t love him.” He surmised. Of course, that would be what he got. So simple. 

“Then why are you fighting me so much Y/N?” Damon asked as he advanced again. This time you held your ground. He reached for your hand and took it gently. “Why are you fighting what you feel for me? I know it’s been so long, but I also know that when you lived here, when you were with me, you loved me. Even now, before you pushed me away, we were happy.” Damon’s hand tightened on yours as he no doubt saw something on your face that made him think you were going to pull away. He walked closer until he was pressed chest to chest with you, forcing you to walk backwards until your back pressed against the wall on the far side of the room. He leaned down to look deeper into your eyes as he pinned you to the wall. “And I never gave you any doubt that I didn’t love you back.” 

You glowered at Damon as a warning for him to stop getting so close. Him pressing up against you did things to your mind. You weren’t focusing. It was getting hard to remember what you were supposed to be doing. You put your hands up and pushed against Damon’s chest to get him to move back just an inch. He didn’t budge at all. Your lip pulled back in a flashy sneer as you bared your own teeth to the Vampire in warning. “I’m fighting it because I _want_ to love Dean.” You growled out at your ex and his eyes narrowed as his lips pursed. That was the truth. You really _did_ want to have the chance to love Dean. It would be different from loving Damon, but no less powerful if it were to happen. Although it was starting to get excessively hard to love Damon with him pushing such a sensitive subject around like a game.

“You’re right.” You admitted, but not to his view of Dean. “I did love you. I loved you so much and with everything I had that when I left, it tortured me for months not seeing you.” Your throat tightened and threatened to choke you on your words, but you pushed on, needing to say this. Needing to let him hear it. “Not hearing your voice. Not going to sleep or waking up with your arm’s wrapped around me.” You paused for a moment to gather yourself and tried to swallow past the lump in your throat. “It tormented me, Damon. That’s why I started hunting again.” You looked deep into his eyes. “I had to bury the memory of you.” Your words had cut Damon deep. You could tell as his face scrunched up as if someone had punched him in the gut and he gasped in a sharp breath before his body yanked itself away from you as if touching you had burned him. It was a deep blow to your heart as well. But you couldn’t just stop, even though you desperately wanted to. You _had_ to get this out. Even if it hurt. 

“I’m a Hunter Damon.” You whispered, almost like an apology before your voice rose again. “It’s in my blood. And loving you, being with you, being yours has put me in danger more times than I can count. But I still did it. I still fell in love with you, still gave you my heart, still put myself through the pain of knowing one day I may lose you and I gladly did it, every bit of it. Because I loved you.” Your vision was starting to get blurry and the tightness in your throat was starting to burn. “Because I believed that this love would be worth it. Like a **child** I thought that it would somehow make everything better!” The tears fell from your eyes. Quickly they streamed down your cheeks and dropped from your face to land on your shirt and down on the floor to be soaked up by the parched wood. You closed your eyes and shook your head. “It just made it worse Damon.” Your voice returned to a whisper and you sniffed miserably. 

You tried to regulate your breathing but it felt like your lungs were full of cotton. You couldn’t get enough air. You hung your head and continued through the pain in your chest. “You remember the last few months I was here.” You mumbled and another tear slipped from your eye to track slower down a new path on your cheek. “Hunter’s started rolling through Virginia by the pairs looking for me and the only thing I could figure that they were doing here was hunting was me. I put the word out through the Hunter grapevine that Clay had died and most of the others knew how I hunted. They all wanted revenge or at the very least they wanted answers. Answers I couldn’t give because they would have endangered you, and everyone else here.” You liked your lips and finally gathered the courage to look up and see Damon. You immediately regretted it.

Damon’s gaze was a hurricane. Dozens of different emotions flashed through his gorgeous eyes as he processed everything you were telling him. The silence stretched until Damon jerked his chin in your direction to prompt you. “Go on.” He growled out, even though his tone clearly stated that he didn’t want to hear anymore as much as you didn’t want to speak. You watched his expression for a moment more just to make sure he really wanted you to continue. His face didn’t change. You licked your lips. “I tried to ignore it. You said that The Veil would hide me from them. But then those two found me outside of work that night and jumped me.” Your body shook at the memory. You hadn’t been at your best because you had been sick for a while prior to that. You had just barely gotten over it and you were still a little weak. You didn’t have a chance against the two huge Hunters that had come after you. “If you hadn’t have heard me scream they would have killed me, and if I hadn’t have shot the last man then he would have killed _you_.” Your heart plummeted. The thought of a world without Damon in it was devastating. You could survive a life where you couldn’t be with him, but to lose him completely would destroy your heart. 

You decided to use reasoning. Because it worked so well last time, right? “Dean and I…” You began and swallowed tight again. “Dean and I just make more sense Damon.” You said softly but the firmness was easily detectable. “He was raised in this same lifestyle. He’s just like me.” The realization was just so surreal. You and Dean had so much in common already. The only thing that was different was… “So that’s it then?” Damon asked, interrupting your train of thought. “You’re just going to throw away what we had, what we **still** have for each other?” Damon’s voice was filling with acid. You narrowed your eyes to glare back at him. “I walked away to save you Damon.” You growled out. “What I did forced both of us to move on.” “You think that I actually moved on?!” Damon hissed, taking a step in your direction. You bared your teeth in a sneer. “If you didn’t then how do you explain Elena?” You knew that jab was a low blow but it got the wanted reaction. Damon reeled back as if you had slapped him. 

You closed your eyes and sighed. “I want you to understand what I’m trying to say here Damon.” You said and opened your eyes again to look at him. Calculating his movements and facial expressions. “He and I are compatible. We work well together and there is the potential for love there that I really want.” Your voice took on a tone as if to sound like you were pleading with Damon to understand what you were saying. “I want to take the chance at finding something like that with Dean. I want to have the chance to love someone the way I…” “The way you loved me.” Damon interrupted again, and suddenly he was right in front of you. His hands came up and gripped your hips, using his hold to push you backwards against the wall and pin you there with the strength in his vampiric muscles. They rippled smoothly as they clenched and unclenched beneath his skin. 

“You don’t just want to have the chance to love someone.” He said gently, looking down at you with both wonder and excitement that you hadn’t expected to come out of such a strenuous conversation. What had Damon seen in your words that you hadn’t thought of when you were speaking? It didn’t make sense to you but it was apparent that Damon didn’t see farther than what he had wanted to. It only became more prominent as he continued. “You want a love that consumes you completely.” He began and you felt his right hand run softly down the side of your hip before changing direction upwards to run along your side. “Body and soul.” His hand stopped as it passed your chest and came to rest over your heart. He then leaned down, and placed a quick yet gentle kiss on your cheek before you knew what he planned to do. You jerked backwards and away from his lips in shock. Which only seemed to accomplish giving him more space to crowd forward. He was getting far too comfortable with making you feel closed in with nowhere to go. 

“Damon.” You warned, your tone dripping with the silent plea to move back and give you room to breathe at least. The vampire either didn’t notice the hint, or just didn’t care about it as he stayed right where he was. Even taking it a step further by pressing his leg in between yours to pin you even closer to the wall with his body. He leaned closer to you. Enough so that his strong brow now rested gently against yours as he stared into your eyes. Forcing you to listen and comprehend every word he uttered from those plush and kissable lips with emphasis. “You want passion, and adventure.” His other hand came up and caressed your right side just beneath your arm, all the way down to the curve of your hip before it squeezed the flesh there once and settled to rest over the spot. Your mind was starting to get fuzzy again. He knew exactly what he was doing with every sensual touch he teased you with. Fuck. This wasn’t going anywhere good.

“Damon, let me go.” You warned breathlessly, but the vampire ignored your command. Opting instead to move his head to the side and a gasp escaped you as your eyelids fluttered against the feeling of a slick tongue dipping down to trace a long, wet line directly over your pulse point before cool breath fanned over the trail. A breathy sigh passed your lips and you instantly bit your tongue to stop any further noise from sounding out so close to Damon’s ear. Unfortunately for you, your ex had already heard that wanna-be moan. Damon chuckled against your hair and turned enough to place a gentle kiss against the pulse in your neck before he spoke again. “And maybe a little danger.” He mused and a sharp intake of breath cause your chest to press rigidly against his as you suddenly felt the firm scrape of Damon’s elongated fangs against your curated artery. He didn’t apply enough pressure to puncture the skin but you could certainly tell that they were there. All kinds of dirty thoughts and euphoric memories surfaced as the familiar sensation traveled from the point of contact all throughout your body. Your nerves were left feeling like live wires as you squirmed against him.

Your eyes closed again and your head tipped backwards, giving Damon all the room he wanted and more to do whatever he desired with your neck. You were so far into the feeling of his fangs and tongue that your fight to stop him from touching you at all had ceased. 

“You may want to say all this bullshit about wanting to love your Hunter boy-toy and forget all about me and what we meant to each other, but baby… You can’t lie to me.” You felt him place another kiss against your neck and move his lips up to press against your ear. “I know my girl.” The fingers around your hips flexed and tightened possessively as he pulled your hips flush against his by the belt loops in your jeans. “Your body can’t lie for you either. It remembers me.” He said and you felt him nuzzle his face into the crook of your neck as he took a deep breath against your skin. “I can smell how aroused you are Y/N.” He whispered. “So sweet baby.” God Damon had you at such a disadvantage with that talented silver tongue of his. And that wasn’t the only thing you could remember he could do with his tongue. A moan finally broke as the leg between yours moved up to press against the ‘V’ of your thighs. Your hands came up and splayed across his chest. You grappled with your thoughts to gain control again and managed to shove once against the firm muscle. He still didn’t move.

“Damon, don’t do this.” You pleaded. But even as you said it, your hands fisted in his shirt and instead of pushing, you tried to pull the rest of his body flush against yours. Damon leaned back enough to look down at you again and give you one of his famous Devil-may-care smiles. A smile you had seen him use in the face of danger, but never against you. “Funny baby.” He mused as he leaned his forehead down to touch yours again. You suddenly felt very small. “I seem to remember asking you for something similar when you were packing up all of your stuff.” He recalled and the reminder broke your heart a little more. “You didn’t listen to me then. Why should I listen to you now?” He placed a kiss on the tip of your nose and you felt his cool breath fan over your slightly parted lips when he pulled back to study your mouth. 

Logic was slowly starting to squirm away from this entire conversation as you stared back at him and noted every inch of his gorgeous face. With the last bit of will you had left you made one final attempt at getting Damon away from you. You gritted your teeth and put your best effort into glaring at the vampire. “Dean is still in the house Damon.” You began and quickly continued when you saw the cool smile drop from his lips and a hard glint shone in his ice blue gaze. “I am still in a relationship with him. And you know that I have never once been the type to cheat. I won’t do this to him and I certainly can’t do it with _you_!” You stressed the last word. You knew that this was only going to end one of two ways now. Either Damon would accept your harsh words and you both would leave each other with broken hearts, or you would succumb to Damon and the relationship you had wanted to build with Dean would be over. But you didn’t want to give Dean up. In all honesty… you didn’t want to give either man up. 

But if you had to choose, at this moment, it had to be Dean. “Dean is the one I want to be with now.” Damon bared his teeth and his hands on your hips tightened. “Your prissy little Hunter is only up and walking around because of the blood Meredith gave him when you both hit the ER last night.” Damon snarled. “ _My_ blood. Blood that I gave her so that she could treat her more severe patient injuries Y/N. And, might I add, the kid was only treated with it because he came in along with you. Meredith told me that she had to used two whole bags on him and three bags on you. If he had been the only one to come in Meredith wouldn’t have waisted even one whole bag to save him. You know how she works.” Damon was steaming but was somehow still making extremely valid points. 

“And if she hadn’t given you the blood too you’d **still** be in that damn hospital bed with a tube stuck down your throat. If any other doctor had been assigned to you instead of Meredith, you would have died as soon as they took you into surgery!” His voice cracked and you could see he was on the verge of tears, just as you were. “I read her report.” He stated, voice tight in anguish. “Multiple lacerations. Over a dozen broken bones. A concussion and ruptured kidney. A collapsed lung and internal bleeding from three major organs. You **would** have died Y/N. And it’s all his fault! He is the one that caused the crash in the first place!” That made you glare cold hard daggers at him and you mind finally snapped out of the harmonic high you had been experiencing under the sensual touches he had given you. 

“That is bullshit and you know it!” You yelled back, thoroughly done with this whole fucked up conversation. “Dean didn’t have anything to do with that damn accident. It wasn’t _his_ fault that the fucking semi swung out of its lane and hit us. He was trying to avoid the crash but the truck changed direction at the last minute. It was aiming for us Damon.” Damon only sneered at the comment. He obviously had already made up his mind to blame Dean for the crash. Un-fucking-believable. 

“That kid is fooling himself if he thinks he has any chance at a life with you, and your lying to yourself if you think you can make it work with him Y/N.” He rasped out as the red began to bleed into the whites of his eyes. “Hunters like him have a habit of dying young and what are you going to do when he finally figures out just exactly what you are?” Damon’s eyebrow raised as he asked. His tone very sincere. Like he was genuinely curious as to what your answer was going to be. “And what about what the rest of us are? Huh? Just because he’s yours doesn’t mean that any one of us are just going to roll over if Deanie-kins out there decides to hunt us. Whose side would you be on then?” The question gave you pause. If it came down to that, what would you do? You shook your head instead. “It won’t come to that…” “ _If_ it did, what would you do then?” Again, you paused before speaking. “It **won’t** happen.” You repeated and you silently raised a prayer to every power that be in hopes that something like that never came to pass. 

“And why can’t I believe you?” Damon asked and you sneered at him again. “Believe what you want Damon.” You huffed, shoving against his chest again, this time putting strength behind it. Damon stumbled back a few steps and you were finally unpinned from the wall. But you didn’t dare move. “I don’t have to justify myself to you or anyone else in this house. Dean won’t hurt any of you so why are you so stressed out about it anyways?” Damon gave you a bewildered look. “Are you serious? I’m stressed out over it because this house is currently filled up with nothing but vampires, a hybrid, a witch, and a Destined Hunter who, by the way, could easily put your lover-boy to shame. I’m more than a little concerned for all of our friends’ safety, Y/N.” 

You squinted at him dangerously, leaning forward just a bit to emphasize your words. “You don’t know anything about how great a Hunter he is or what kind of person he is, Damon.” You sneered through clenched teeth. “I am a member of _his_ team. Not the other way around. He isn’t just some kill-crazy Hunter. He understands that there are supernatural creatures out in the world that aren’t complete monsters. You will **not** disrespect him, or I swear to God I’ll…” “You’ll what, Y/N?” Damon interrupted again. A cold look hardening the fluid blue irises to ice chips as he balled his fists at his sides. “What would you do?” As quick as lightening, Damon flited forward to slam his open palms hard on the wall by either side of your head. Your hair fluttered as the air around you moved but you never took your eyes away from Damon’s gorgeous and angry face. You didn’t flinch at all as he continued. 

“What would you do?” He repeated. “What **could** you do, that I haven’t already been through? Huh? Tell me.” Damon leaned down a smooshed his forehead down onto yours so that you were nose to nose. It didn’t hurt, but the pressure was enough to keep you looking straight forward at him. “Would you leave me again?” He asked and his voice dropped drastically. He sounded very small even as he leaned over you. The scowl left your face as you watched him. “Would you rip out my heart and stomp on it like you did last time? Would you actually wait this time to say _goodbye_ to me?” Tears were gathering in his beautiful, pain filled blue eyes as he watched you back. 

“Would you do me a favor… and kill me this time?” His request felt like someone had just punched you in the gut as the wind rushed out of your lungs. “Would you please, grant me that mercy? You already tore my heart out once baby.” He blinked and the tears fell from his eyes in silent streams down his face. “But it’s always belonged to you Y/N.” He whispered with assent. He reached down to grab your hand and place the palm of it over his chest where his heart no longer beat. “You own it, and it’ll **always** belong to you.” 

Horror and nausea rolled through your stomach as the words from your dream a few months back in Galena echoed louder than ever in your mind. Fear and panic shot through your heart and your mouth went dry as all you wanted to do was scream as the image of the Phantom Damon bleeding heavily through the gaping wound in his chest surfaced in your mind. The look of that same haphazard smile as he presented you with his cold dead heart made your body quake in your skin. It terrified you. But the lump in your throat had swelled again and it was nearly impossible to breathe let alone scream. 

Fortunately, the fact that you couldn’t scream at the memory was no longer an issue, as the sound of the hammer on a gun being cocked back caught the attention of both you and Damon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo, how was that? Not much action. Just part of the plot to help move a few things into place. Still trying to figure out what you are? Don't worry, we'll get to that soon. ;)


	19. Explainations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I think I'm just going to stop promising times I'm going to update again. Honestly this chapter did not want to work with me but I think I finally got it to where it flows a bit better with the whole story. This chapter is mostly Dean's POV since we haven't really gotten much of his thoughts on matters in a while. Again, sorry for making you wait but thank you all for bearing with me. Let me know what you guys think. OH! And Happy Reading!

*A few moments earlier*

Dean sat on the bed listening to the tapping of incoherent notes of a piano down the hall as he waited for you to make it back to his room. He hadn’t wanted to leave you downstairs but he respected your desire for privacy when you subtly asked him to go make sure the room was ready for you both to sleep. Also the fact that Damon had left the room and was unlikely to make it back to the parlor tonight put the Hunter a bit more at ease in leaving you with your friends.

Although, Dean did plan to have a chat with you since it seemed like anyone would have to be blind not to see the obvious connection Damon had had to that Stephen guy leaving Mystic Falls. Whatever it was, it wasn’t anything good. Dean silently hoped to himself that maybe the whole closure thing was still possible if you heard from someone else that Damon had moved on and was capable of doing it again. 

It still really bugged him that Damon had shot that weird look at him at the bar. He wondered what that shit had been about. Who the hell gets excited from someone having a certain type of alcohol that smelled like battery acid? Dean shook his head to clear it of the thoughts that plagued him and turned his head to look at the alarm clock sitting on the bedside table. The bright red numbers read 1:50 am. 

Dean’s eyes widened slightly and he shook his head. Those kids’ downstairs were still drinking by the time he had left and they hadn’t showed any signs of slowing down at any point soon. ‘ _Fuck, I’m getting old_.’ Dean thought as he ran a hand through his hair. You had all started drinking around 6:30 pm. Today’s youth could drink Dean under a table in no time, apparently. Their livers must be cast iron. 

Or maybe it just had something to do with the town. How you had told Dean about the spell some old witches had used to protect it. Magic like that had to come with benefits and side effects, right? Dean wasn’t sure but he’d chalk it up to that than admitting some kids got the better of him. You could already drink him under and he felt it hard to admit that alone. Though, come to think of it, you hadn’t really drunk all that much since that night he met you in New Orleans. 

Dean shook his head and looked at the clock again. He had come back up around 12:40. The Hunter frowned deeply. What were you still doing downstairs for an hour? Dean got up and went to his nightstand where he had put his gun after he finished showering and had gone to find you to give you back your daggers. He felt naked and exposed without it. This place was unfamiliar and that in and of itself was enough to make Dean more than a little nervous about his surroundings. Not even considering the fact that this was enemy territory. 

Damon Salvatore may be Dean Winchester’s worst enemy yet. He wanted you. Badly. He wanted you to come back to him. To live here, in Mystic Falls, in _this_ house, with him again. Dean’s chest tightened just thinking about that happening. It meant that he would lose you. 

Dean knew that you had said you wanted him and not Damon but Dean also couldn’t seem to shake this dark cloud hanging over him when it came to the thought of you and Damon together. Dean sighed heavily through his nose and closed his eyes for a moment as his other hand came up to fumble with the bracelet you had given him earlier. 

For the first time ever, Dean Winchester was willing to fight to keep something for himself. But what would he do if you didn’t want to be kept? What would he do if you wanted to come back and live with Damon again? Give up hunting again and live out the rest of your days here with your friends and your ex? A life without Hunting was something Dean couldn’t give you. He knew that. 

He had tried the apple pie life with Lisa and Ben and it was tolerable but deep down, Dean had been miserable. He was a Hunter, through and through. There was no changing that. What if that was what you really wanted? Dean couldn’t be the one to give that to you. The Hunter bit his lower lip slightly in frustration before sighing and dropping his hands to his sides as he opened his eyes to stare blankly in front of him. 

There were too many ‘if’s, and’s or but’s’ here. Dean needed something that was simple and sure. Something that made sense. He picked up his gun and checked the chamber for any bullet. Chamber cleared and he moved his hand back towards the waist of his jeans along his spine. 

This made sense. The weight of the gun in his hand. The feel of the cool metal pressed against his skin along the muscles of his back. This is what Dean knew. This was comforting, in an odd sort of way. It was natural to him, and that’s all he needed.

The feeling was more than grounding. Dean took a deep breath when he holstered the weapon in its usual spot and let it go. He wasn’t going to wait to talk to you. He needed answers now. Dean turned and existed the room, making sure to close the door firmly before he moved to walk down the length of the hall towards the staircase. He vaguely noted that the steady piano music had stopped, though he couldn’t recall when it had.

With his hands in his pockets and his head slightly dipped, Dean walked forward. Thinking about how he was going to approach you and ask you the sensitive questions running through his mind. As he passed the open door of one of the many rooms that laid in this hall, he heard angry voices rising from within it. 

‘ _What the hell_?’ Dean thought and he stopped right in front of the door, straining to listen to whoever was inside. What he heard, made him clench his teeth so hard they ground together painfully. Inside he could hear you speaking. Speaking with Damon. 

“… _I care for Dean deeply_.” He heard the hitch in your voice as you tried to explain yourself. Almost as if you were stumbling for the right words. “ _But love is a strong word_.” Dean’s eyes widened and he found himself pressing closer up against the partially opened door. 

He was doing his best not to lean on it and making his presence known but this was probably the most honest answer he was going to get from you, uncensored as you were when talking to Damon. The fact that he had to spy on you and your ex-boyfriend in order to get even a modicum of truth from you on a subject this delicate spoke volumes as Dean closed his eyes and concentrated on what you were saying. 

“… _strong emotion. To title what I feel for Dean in that way would confuse what we have between each other. Our relationship is new. I can’t just throw a word like that around without for sure feeling it_.” It hurt. God did it fucking hurt to hear you say that. You didn’t love him. Did you even care? Did you even like him? Even a percentage of how much he cared about you? He wasn’t sure what to feel right now. 

Ok, sure, he hadn’t said the words to you yet either but only because he had trouble trying to express his feelings like that. Dean was a strong, reserved man. He showed the people he loved that he cared about them through actions. But he didn’t know how to do anything for you that would make you understand just how much you meant to him. 

Not to mention that the relationship you both have created was just barely budding and most strong, Hunter women like you would become at least a little weary at hearing the ‘L’ word so soon into _any_ relationship. But still. Hearing you word the very simple fact that you didn’t love him to your ex while you were alone in a room together cut very deep. 

“ _You don’t love him_.” Damon’s voice shook Dean out of his steadily darkening stupor and he focused once more on the conversation happening inside the room. Glaring heatedly at the wood of the door as he did. “… _fighting me so much Y/N_?” Dean heard a small intake of breath from inside and he twitched, wanting to swing open the door and go in but he refrained. He needed to see where this conversation was going to go. 

“ _Why are you fighting what you feel for me_? _I know it’s been so long, but I also know that when you lived here, when you were with me, you loved me. Even now, before you pushed me away, we were happy._ ” Dean heard the distinct sound of both heavy and dainty footfalls taking steps further away from him before they stopped with a soft thump that sounded from what Dean guessed was against the far wall. 

As a Hunter, he had been trained to listen for small disturbances like that. And he had never been more grateful for the skill than in this moment as he heard Damon’s voice drop in volume to be encompassed in the small space between you both. “ _And I never gave you any reason to doubt that I loved you back_.” Dean could practically see what was going on in the room. 

Damon, holding you close, pressed up against the wall. Him leaning over you as if trying to create the perfect tension to where it would make you want to kiss him. Dean gritted his teeth. It was the hospital scene all over again. Just as Dean was about to slam his palm into the slightly opened door and burst into the room to yank Damon away from you, your voice stopped him.

“ _I’m fighting it because I **want** to love Dean._ ” The words were firm and undeniable. They had a deep sense of truth that managed to make something in Dean’s heart tingle and twist slightly in his chest. It stopped Dean from following through with his instinct to run in and beat on Damon. So, he listened again. Listened, and waited. 

“ _You’re right, I did love you. I loved you so much and with everything I had that when I left it tortured me for months not seeing you._ ” Dean heard the hitch in your voice that indicated that your emotions were beginning to choke you.

He wanted nothing more than to go in and wrap you in his arms. To stop the pain and whisper to you that everything was all right. That it was ok and you didn’t have to talk about this if it hurt so much. But this was something you had to do alone. For all their sakes. So he continued to listen. 

“ _It tormented me, Damon. That’s why I started hunting again._ ” The shaking in your voice had stopped but it had definitely become less audible. “ _I had to bury the memory of you._ ” And holy shit. Ouch. That even hurt Dean and you weren’t even saying the words to him. 

You were talking to his rival. His enemy. The guy that got in his face and blamed him for the crash. The guy that has been trying to steal you away from Dean ever since you woke up at the hospital just a few hours ago. 

Dean should fucking hate this guy. And yet, if Damon loved you as much as he says he does, then to have someone so important tell you that they tried to forget about you by throwing themselves into the hunting lifestyle wouldn’t just cut deep. It would fillet your heart into a hundred pieces while you watched it continue to beat. For a moment, as he heard the other man take a stumbling step backwards, presumably away from you, Dean pitied Damon. 

“ _I’m a Hunter Damon._ ” Dean focused again as you continued on, though the feeling of jealousy had ebbed to be replaced by sympathy for his rival. You **wanted** to be with Dean. To get a chance to love him. 

Dean made a small footnote in the back of his mind that once you both were with Sam and Bobby and back home at the Bunker, Dean was going to tell you how he felt. How he _really_ felt, and you were going to take that drive and spend some quality time together. Just the two of you. 

“ _It’s in my blood. And loving you, being with you, being yours has put me in danger more times than I can count. But I still did it. I still fell in love with you, still gave you my heart. Still put myself through the pain of knowing that one day I may lose you, and I gladly did it. Every bit of it_.” A hitch in your voice stopped you for a moment before you continued again. This time, the tone softer. Like an apology but not quite. “ _Because I loved you._ ”

Dean closed his eyes. It was a goodbye. Something Dean had been waiting for since they had arrived here. Since you both had argued up on that cliff about needing closure. Finally it was happening. Dean just wish it didn’t hurt you so badly. It only confirmed his suspicions that you had never let go. 

And that same little green monster of jealousy coupled with his paranoia to implement the idea in Dean’s head that maybe, just maybe, you had always planned to come back here one day. Dean shoved it away as his need to hear the rest of the conversation won out. 

“ _… I believed that this love would be worth it. Like a_ **child** _I thought that it would somehow make everything better_!” There was definitely a hint of tears in your voice as you dug into Damon again with your words. Dean opened his eyes again and stared at the door inches in front of his face. “ _It just made it worse Damon_.” Dean heard you sniffle and his heart ached, wanting to hold you in his arms and take away the pain. His feet remained planted. 

He listened for a few minutes. The only sound inside the room was that of your breathing where you were trying to calm it down. It didn’t seem like you could though. When you finally spoke again, you sounded small, hurt. Broken. “ _You remember the last few months I was here_.” You mumbled and Dean picked his head up slightly. 

“ _Hunter’s started rolling through Virginia by the pairs looking for me and the only thing I could figure that they were doing here was hunting me_.” Dean felt his brow furrow. This was another piece to the puzzle that was Y/N Frost. Something you had barely talked about, even after the whole incident with Jonah just last week. Dean’s mind was whirling with the amount of new information he was receiving. 

“…. _Clay had died and most of the others knew how I hunted. They all wanted revenge or at the very least they wanted answers. Answers I couldn’t give because they would have endangered you, and everyone else here_.” There was a pause before Dean heard a low droning sound that seemed to belong to Damon. After another few moments, you started back up again. 

“ _I tried to ignore it. You said that The Veil would hide me from them. But then those two found me outside of work that night and jumped me_.” Dean jerked back away from the door. Someone had jumped you? Men? 

Dean felt the blood in his veins begin to boil. No male could call themselves a man if they attacked a woman. Never! Dean ground his teeth together as he listened. Maybe he could find these guys and teach them to respect women. It’d be a lesson he would definitely enjoy giving. 

“ _If you hadn’t heard me scream they would have killed me, and if I hadn’t shot the last man then he would have killed you_.” Dean heard the rumble of thunder course through your voice as you spoke. It sent a small shiver up his spine at the authority and power behind the simple yet disheartening words. 

“ _Dean and I… Dean and I just make more sense Damon. He was raised in the same lifestyle._ ” Pause. “Just like me.” The audible grinding of someone’s teeth was too much for Dean. He stepped forward and pushed the door slightly to make sure the hinges didn’t squeak as he inched it open. He stopped only when he was able to see the both of you. 

Damon had his back to Dean but he could see where you were backed up against a wall. Though your ex was still a few feet away from touching you, you had nowhere to go and that pissed Dean off. 

“So that’s it then?” Dean watched Damon’s shoulders hunch as the tension coiled through the mans’ muscles. “You’re just going to throw away what we had, what we **still** have for each other?” Damon’s voice had a dangerous amount of venom in it and it was making Dean itch to spring forward and shove your ex away from you. 

Dean shifted his gaze over to watch you and your reaction then, catching your expression just as your eyebrows knitted together and your eyes hardened in a way Dean had never seen. It made Dean rethink the need to go in and defend you. You seemed perfectly capable of doing it yourself.

“I walked away to save you Damon.” Dean watched your plump lips split into a sneer and he felt a warmth stir in the center of his stomach migrating dangerously further south beneath his waistband as he remembered the feel of them around his dick. 

Dean cursed his own body at that moment. This _so_ wasn’t the time nor the place. Dean grit his teeth and willed the feeling away as he continued to watch. ‘Maybe later.’ Dean thought as he took deep breaths. 

“What I did forced both of us to move on.” “You think that I actually moved on?!” Dean tensed as he watched Damon take a step closer to you but when he looked back at you your jaw was set and the sneer was even larger. “If you didn’t then how do you explain Elena?” You hissed and Dean saw the fire jump from your eyes and rage with… jealousy? But it was effective in making both Damon and Dean reel back from the low blow. That would have hurt any mans’ pride that still loved another woman. 

Dean watched the anger fade slowly from your face before your eyes closed for a second as you sighed. “I want you to understand what I’m trying to say here Damon.” Dean saw the shine to your beautiful (y/e/c) eyes as you looked back at Damon. Thank God neither of you had noticed Dean at the door yet. 

This was far too revealing. Dean didn’t feel like he should be here, spying on you both. But he couldn’t seem to tear himself away. This was _his_ girlfriend explaining to her _ex_ that **Dean** was the better choice for her future relationship. It was just too good to miss. 

“He and I are compatible. We work well together and there is the potential for love there that I really want. I want to take the chance at finding something like that with Dean. I want to have the chance to love someone the way I…” “The way you loved me.” Damon interrupted and Dean watched with his anger seething beneath his flesh as Damon took quick steps, unusually quick, to stand before you. 

Dean blinked rapidly, thinking his eyes must be playing tricks on him. He could have sworn Damon had actually blurred there for a moment. It had to be a trick, right? His thoughts on the matter were cut short as he saw Damon’s hands come up to grip your waist and push you backwards against the unforgiving wood. 

“You ….. have … ‘ance to lo… someone.” Dean could barely hear Damon. His voice had dropped down so low that the Hunter was straining to hear anything. Dean gritted his teeth in frustration that turned to malice as he saw Damon’s right hand trail down the left side of your body to the hip before going back up again. 

On instinct, Dean’s hand was on his pistol in a flash and just as he pulled it out and was bringing it around to rest in his well-practiced grip, the loud ‘Thump’ of someone heading up the stairs stalled Dean’s movements. His head turned from the crack in the door and his breath halted in his lungs as he waited and listened. 

‘ _Hey Bonnie, where’re you going_?’ Jeremy’s voice echoed up the stairs and Dean tensed hard, desperately trying not to make a sound. ‘ _I just wanted to check on Y/N_.’ Came the gentle reply from the girl Dean had met earlier. Bonnie. ‘ _She just seemed so hurt, I wanted to see if she was ok_.’ Dean dared a shallow breath after not hearing Bonnie’s steps advance.

‘ _It’s not surprising_.’ Jeremy answered back and a sigh followed. ‘ _You remember how those two were. It’s got to hurt coming back home after a few years and finding out the one you loved that much… was with your best friend while you were gone_.’ There was a small creak that came from the shifting of weight on a step.

‘ _That’s not fair Jer, you saw how Elena and Damon both were after Y/N left. They were a mess. I’m not surprised they got together. Even if I still don’t condone it_.’ Another creak of wood and a thump against the wall sounded from the bottom of the stairs. 

‘ _I know Bon, but, let Y/N have some time alone. She looked really out of it and we both know she used to hate it when we hovered. Just give her some time. She’ll get over it._ ’ Jeremy advised and another deep sigh answered him. 

‘ _I hope you’re right_.’ Bonnie muttered low, almost too soft for Dean to catch, before the Hunter heard the sound of two pairs of retreating footsteps from the stairs. After another moment, Dean released the heavy breath he had been holding and gritted his teeth as he turned back towards the cracked door, gun still poised and ready for use. Dean nearly lost it when he looked into the room again.

Your eyes were closed and your head was tipped back as Damon’s head moved up and down over the side of your neck and over your throat. Dean watched the black haired bastard nuzzle into the side of your neck and he watched as your lips curled ever so gently into a barely-there smile. 

“I can smell how aroused you are Y/N.” Damon groaned and Dean felt like he might be sick. “So sweet baby.” And the knee Damon brought up between your legs had Dean choking on a stream of poisonous obscenities. 

What the fuck was up with this guy? No one could ‘ **smell** ’ when another person was aroused. What the fuck was going on? Dean saw Damon raise his head for a moment before lowering it again and resting it over yours. He knew the other man was speaking to you but Damon spoke too softly for Dean to hear. 

Damon pulled back then and Dean was able to see the growing glare of fury cross your features. He saw your lips move stiffly as you seemed to growl out something to Damon. He slowed his breathing and concentrated hard on the conversation happening between the both of you on the other side of the room, pressing up against the smooth wood of the door as he strained to hear the soft whispers being exchanged. 

“… one I want to be with now.” Dean heard the end of your sentence before Damon cut you off. “Your prissy little Hunter is only up and walking around because of the blood Meredith gave him when you both hit the ER last night.” Damon snarled the words.

“ _My_ blood. Blood that I gave her so that she could treat her more severe patient injuries Y/N. And, might I add, the kid was only treated with it because he came in along with you…” What the fuck? What the hell was so special about Damon’s blood? 

Wouldn’t a hospital just use O- if they didn’t have time to test someone’s blood type? Why would that doctor back at the hospital use _one_ guys blood for people that were on death’s door. Not even a blood transfusion could stop death if the injuries were too severe. 

And why the fuck was Damon still calling him a _kid_?! Damon could hardly be a couple of years older than Dean himself. Hell, the son of a bitch looked to be somewhere in his late twenties if anything! Dean mentally shook himself as he huffed out a breath before tuning back into the conversation. This was getting too weird. 

“… th, you would have died as soon as they took you into surgery!” Damon’s voice got louder from the amount of emotion behind his words. It made listening a lot easier for Dean. 

“I read her report. Multiple lacerations. Over a dozen broken bones. A concussion and a ruptured kidney. A collapsed lung and internal bleeding from three major organs. You **would** have died Y/N. And it’s all his fault!...” Dean jerked back away from the door. What was Damon talking about? Was he talking about the crash? 

Dean shook his head. There was no way he was referring to the crash. You and he both walked away from it without a scratch. Sure, Baby was banged up pretty bad but Dean doesn’t remember really anything from the moment the semi hit Baby to the time he woke up in the hospital. But he would have noticed if you were that severely injured. 

When you both got here to the Boarding house the first thing you did was argue. Then after that you fucked in the room Damon had basically assigned to Dean. Something wasn’t right. Something wasn’t adding up. But what was it? Dean tightened his grip on the pistol in his hands but lowered it a bit to point back at the ground as he continued to listen. 

“… fooling himself if he thinks he has any chance at a life with you, and your lying to yourself if you think you can make it work with him Y/N.” Damon was saying, notching up Dean’s anger once again. Who in the hell was he to say what you or Dean believed thought about your relationship? 

But then, Damon’s next sentence stopped the wheels in Dean’s mind from turning and caused a stutter in brain power as his brow furrowed in confusion once more. “Hunters like him have a habit of dying young and what are you going to do when he finally figures out just exactly what you are?” 

What did that mean? Ok, the possibility of dying young was a given in the Hunting industry and the idea of leaving you behind one day if Dean were to be killed on the job scared the fuck out of the older Winchester. But what was that other part? What did Damon mean by him ‘figuring out what you are?’ 

That made no sense. Dean would have noticed if you were anything but human. Suddenly, a flashback hit. The image of him waking up with you in his arms and him admiring your tattoo when he saw the jagged scaring of some type of symbol in the center of the tattoo over your spine. 

Dean remembers wondering what in the hell that had been and the next time he had turned back to look at it closer it had disappeared. What the actual fuck was going on here? Dean tuned back into the conversation, but the more he heard, the more confused he was about what was really happening here in Mystic Falls.

“….. justify myself to you or anyone else in this house.” You were saying and Dean could hear the fury building in your voice. “Dean won’t hurt any of you so why are you so stressed out about it anyways?” Dean heard Damon huff as his shoulders quaked. 

“Are you serious? I’m stressed out over it because this house is currently filled up with nothing but vampires, a hybrid, a witch and a destined Hunter who, by the way, could easily put your lover-boy to shame. I’m more than a little concerned for all of our friends’ safety, Y/N.” Damon growled.

‘ _What the fuck_?’ Dean thought, every fiber of his body tensing and instinct instantly throwing his mind into Hunter mode. The Boarding house was filled with monsters and you and Dean were trapped inside. How had Dean not noticed?! None of the people downstairs had given off that kind of feeling for Dean while he had been around them.

He had wondered who had been the Destined Hunter when Dean first met the others but to hear that a Hunter would deliberately turn a blind eye to an infestation like what appeared to be here in this town…. Dean had no desire to befriend this person now. Instead, Dean was itching to clean up that slackers’ mess. When Dean looked at you again, the anger you displayed startled him. How were you not freaking out over hearing you were smack-dab in the middle of a monster den?

“…. You will **not** disrespect him, or I swear to God I’ll…” “You’ll what Y/N?” The dark tone in Damon’s voice when he said that to you made Dean’s stomach churn. “What would you do?” The next second, Damon materialized from where he had been, three feet away, to directly in front of you in a flash. Dean knew he hadn’t blinked that time. Dean ignored the conversation now. Opting to analyze the situation to protect his girl. 

Dean hadn’t seen Damon take a step yet he had appeared right in front of you. As soon as his body stopped moving Dean flinched and his trigger finger twitched as he saw Damon’s hands raise up and slam his palms down hard on either side of your head. How dare this asshole use a scare tactic like that on you. Dean pushed the door open more, intending to stop Damon’s shit now. Enough of this. This sonovabitch is fucking ‘ _dead_!’

In an instant, the Hunter in Dean reared to the surface and his hand tightened on the gun as he pointed the muzzle at the back of Damon’s head and drew back the hammer. Damon whirled around, putting his body between you and Dean’s gun instantly and that only served to piss Dean off even more. He would never even think of hurting you let alone pointing a loaded weapon at you. The barrel was angled to where it would hit Damon but if the bullet passed through it wouldn’t exit anywhere near you. 

“Get the fuck, away from her.” Dean commanded and he had honestly never felt so much hate for any one person in his whole life. This feeling tightening his chest was close to the same hatred he had held for Azazel. Dean wasn’t sure why he would hate his girlfriends’ ex this much but… all the same, it was there. Dean turned his attention from Damon when the asshole refused to move and ended up just glaring at him with identically hate-filled eyes.

Your eyes radiated shock as he held out his free left hand to reach out for you. “Come here Y/N.” He felt like he was ordering you but it honestly couldn’t be the furthest thing from his mind at the moment. 

Damon opened his mouth, about to speak, but Dean shoved the barrel closer to the blue-eyed ex-boyfriend, daring him to make a sound. “You really don’t wanna fucking test me right now, _pretty-boy_.” Dean ground out, utilizing Damon’s infuriating little jabs he liked to use against Dean.

“Dean?” You asked, trying to get the Hunters’ attention. He spared a swift glance at you but his grip on the pistol tightened so hard it began to shake in his hold. You looked from the gun to Dean and back before speaking. “What are you doing baby?” You asked, confusion and apprehension written all over your face. 

“Please put the gun down Dean. It’s all right.” You crooned, trying your best to calm the situation. Dean wasn’t having it. Like hell it was alright. Dean held his hand out again and never took his gaze away from Damon or lowered the gun as he repeated, “Come here.” 

Dean saw you flick your gaze between both he and Damon, seemingly wondering what on earth was happening and if you should choose to go with Dean or stay put where you were against the wall behind Damon. 

Eventually though, you swallowed unsurely and moved to take Dean’s hand which he then used to pull you against his side. Dean watched as Damon’s eyes darkened immensely before all of the color in them suddenly leached out of the irises, leaving them as ice-white as the frozen tundra and twice as unforgiving.

“Still believe he wouldn’t hurt any of us Y/N?” Damon growled and Dean caught the wide-eyed look of disbelief and remorse at the verbal jab when you jolted where you stood beside him. Like a child being proved they had been wrong by an adult after they attempted something their elders deemed harmful. Dean turned to glower at Damon right back, forcing his baleful gaze away from you. 

‘ _The people in Mystic Falls, they’re different. They’re special_.’ Echoes of your conversation from back on top of the cliff the previous night bounced back and forth in Dean’s mind as he literally watched a feral light enter and consume the human consciousness in Damon’s eyes. 

‘ _Damon, his brother, a lot of my friends that live here are… unique… and that uniqueness could make them monsters in a Hunter’s eyes_.’ Dean’s gaze never left Damon’s even as he slowly began to push you gently backwards towards the door. Away from the monster, that advanced as you retreated, coming into focus in front of him. 

Your other friends hadn’t triggered any alarms but there had been something about Damon that had put Dean at odds with the man from the very beginning. Dean hadn’t been sure what it was, but now with everything that had been revealed just now, Dean had no problem deciphering the issue.

‘ _Shapeshifter_.’ Was Dean’s instant thought as he glared back at the ice-white irises in distain. Damon hadn’t mentioned one being in the house when he had expressed a fear for everyone else’s safety in regards to Dean being there as well. But maybe that had just been overlooked information, considering that Damon had stood right in front of you at the time the grievance was addressed. Still, Dean pushed you further behind himself and ignored your low and shocked protests to do otherwise. 

Instead, Dean chose to throw his all into what he felt was finally the last battle to keep you away from Damon. There was no way that a relationship like what Dean had just witnessed could have possibly been healthy. That scare tactic had really made Dean want to shoot Damon right then and fucking there for doing something like that to you. Regardless of the fact that Dean knew you hadn’t been affected by it.

“Now I get why you dumped his ass Y/N.” Dean said, his voice full of triumphant disgust. “Shitty temper control is a given when dealing with a Shapeshifter. It must have been hard putting up with someone who would change out bodies every time they had a tantrum.” Dean raised his gun hand a bit more a solidified his grip on the pistol as his finger danced around the trigger for emphasis. 

“That shit you just did was not okay with me you son of a bitch.” Dean’s teeth ground together painfully but he ignored, too caught up in reading the dumfounded expression that had just crawled its way into Damon’s eyes. Bringing a hint of the old blue back with it as well. 

“What?” Damon said softly, almost disbelievingly as he came to a halt a few feet away. Dean took another step back and collided with you. When he turned to glance behind him, he saw that you had stopped moving completely as well, the same look of confusion marring your features. His brow furrowed but he turned to look back at Damon’s stilled form again as he continued to try and push you back towards the door to no avail. 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Damon asked, incredulously. “What Shapeshifter? I don’t even know what you’re talking about.” Damon sneered and Dean’s hand shook with the force he was now using to grip the pistol. 

“You, you son of a bitch.” Dean growled. “I know those eyes. Only ever seen some like that on a Shifter when the light hits off of them just right.” For emphasis, he looked to the side in the corner where at least three large candles were lit and flames danced gently atop the columns of wax and wicks. 

Damon looked even more confused for a moment before anger slowly replaced it. “Y/N what the fuck is your boy-toy talking about?” His focus had switched solely to you and it aggravated Dean more. _He_ was the one Damon needed to pay attention to right now. It’s like the idiot was completely disregarding the gun pointed at his fucking head by your current ‘ **HUNTER** ’ boyfriend. Before you could answer, Dean spoke again. 

“Tell me something you skin-shedding freak. Is that your real face or is that the person you decided would gain Y/N’s attention more?” Dean wiggled his index finger into the slot directly over the trigger, ready to fire. “Or was that poor bastard just out of convenience for today?” Dean’s eyes narrowed dangerously as Damon’s lip pulled back over his upper row of teeth in a furious sneer. 

“Is your name really Damon Salvatore or did you steal that at the same time as the body that you’re wearing?” Damon stared at Dean for a long moment then, the anger slowly withdrawing from his face before suddenly, Damon burst out laughing. 

The scowl dropped from Dean’s face as he regarded the monster wearily. Damon folded forward and clutched at his stomach as he continued to chortle and it only served to put Dean more on edge and make the palm that gripped his pistol itch with trepidation. After another moment, Damon finally sucked in a lungful of air and settled down enough to speak. Though Dean wished he had taken the shot when he had the chance.

“Oh, that is just too great.” Damon said, still chuckling softly. “Seriously, the look on your face is priceless. That’s awesome Y/N, you really know how to pick ‘em.” Damon huffed out and Dean could sense you shifting uncomfortably back and forth from one foot to the other. Dean couldn’t spare you a glance at the moment, too preoccupied with watching Damon’s every move.

“So, he’s a great Hunter huh? One of the best? That’s what you _just_ got done telling me right?” Damon shook his head and the amused smile that had played on his lips up until then turned downward into a disdainful sneer. “That’s rich.” 

From behind him Dean could hear you sigh heavily against Damon’s rough taunting and a moment later you spoke up. “That’s enough Damon, please.” Your voice was low and sad. Almost sounding like you were embarrassed or slightly disappointed. Dean braved a glance backwards at you and immediately wished he hadn’t. You looked crestfallen.

“Aww, c’mon Y/N.” Damon’s sneer curled up into a devilish grin that made a tingle of cold dread crawl up Dean’s spine as the man continued, crossing his arms as if advancing on you both was the last thing on his mind now. “Your ‘Great Hunter’ thinks I’m a Shapeshifter. I either laugh over how stupid that is or be offended by the remark.” Damon’s dark eyebrow quirked up to imply a challenge. “Which would you prefer?” A moment later Dean heard you say again, just as dark and in a warning tone, “Enough.”

Damon simply shrugged and continued to snicker as he regarded Dean with a whole new air of arrogance. His gaze skimmed over the gun pointed at him as if it held about as much threat to him as a plastic toy pistol. Dean started getting a nagging feeling in his gut like he seriously misread the situation as Damon continued to throw him glances and huff condescending chuckles the Hunters’ way. 

“If you’re not a Shapeshifter then how do you explain the eyes?” Dean motioned with the barrel of his gun towards Damon where the monster in question was still gleefully glaring at Dean. “Only ever seen that shade on one of them. And Y/N already told me that you and the others were different. I just didn’t understand _how_ different until now when I heard you talking about what was in this house.” Dean smiled as the deadly grin dropped from Damon’s face to be replaced by contempt. “So _Damon_ ,” Dean saturated the name with as much venom as he could muster.

“Explain that to me.” Dean snapped and aimed his gun at Damon’s chest directly over his heart. There were silver bullets in the mag and one was already loaded and waiting in the chamber. Dean was a better shot than Sam or Bobby. He _never_ missed. 

Dean felt you reach out and grab a hold of his button downs’ sleeve, pulling his attention to you for only a second before he shrugged you off and pushed you further behind him instead. “Dean please.” You pleaded, your voice low and urgent. “What are you doing? Stop!” Dean ignored you.

The conversation you and he had had on the cliff last night replayed in its entirety over and over in Dean’s mind. You had told Dean that your friends were different. Special. That to a Hunter, they would be seen as monsters. You had known this. You had known what Damon was. What all of them were, apparently, and yet said nothing about it once Dean was around them. 

The others had given him a sense of calm downstairs. They had given him a relaxed feeling, made him comfortable. But Damon… Damon gave off the air of a predator. A killer. A monster. Was this why you hadn’t told Dean about what Damon was back then? 

Had you been protecting a murderer because you had fallen for him? Had you known back then? Is that the real reason you left Damon and Mystic Falls behind? Were you just using Dean now? So many lies. Dean focused on Damon again just to stop the flood of painful questions. 

Damon’s eyes shifted to where Dean undoubtedly knew you were staring at your ex for a long moment before he finally raised his gaze and the lighter shade returned to his irises, adding an eerie vibe to the look on his face. 

“Oh, you mean these?” Damon asked, reaching one hand up to place his fingers over one eye and rub them downwards hard enough it tugged the skin beneath the optic organ away to reveal the blood red, veiny region below the lid for a second before he let go.

Dean narrowed his eyes a moment before Damon blurred forward until he was pressed firmly against the gun barrel, leaning forward to whisper to a stunned Dean Winchester, “You could say I was, _reborn_ with them.” And Dean watched with wide eyes as the whites of Damon’s own eyes suddenly began to bleed into red and the veins that ran to his eyes darkened to become more prominent against the fair flesh of his face. 

“Now, since you’re freaking out my girl, I’m going to do us all a favor and just, erase this whole thing from your mind, alright Deanie-boy?” Damon snickered and suddenly grabbed the Hunter by the lapels of his canvas shirt. Unfazed by the gun as he pulled Dean closer. 

Damon smiled when Dean gasped in astonishment and disgust and that is when Dean was able to finally see the two elongated, very sharp canines peeking out of Damon’s mouth.

“Alright, now look at me Dean.” Damon began. “Damon wait!” Dean heard you yell at him but he couldn’t turn. He was held in place by Damon’s strong hands. “It’s for his own good baby,” Damon said and stared directly into Dean’s eyes as he continued quickly.

“Damon!” “Ok Dean, you don’t remember any of this…” “Damon listen to me…” “You never went looking for Y/N. Never saw us together.” “He’s wearing a…” “You don’t remember anything you heard here so…” “Vervain bracelet!” “Go back to your…” Damon’s eyes widened and he just stared at Dean for a long moment. 

Another moment passed and he finally spoke. “Wanna say that again Y/N?” His voice was quiet now. All earlier traces of bravado now gone. “I made it for him when we got here.” Came your quiet reply. Now with the shift in Damon’s mood, Dean took the opportunity to strike.

Raw instinct conducted Dean’s next move. Squeezing the trigger of the gun in his hand, and putting two silver bullets in Damon’s heart. The freaks body spun away as the force of the bullets penetrating his breast forced him back while gravity dragged him down. 

“ **Oh my God**!” Dean heard a shriek come from behind him and he whirled around to see you. Your hands were messily threaded through your hair on either side of your head and your usually calm and gorgeous (y/e/c) eyes were wide and wild as you stared at the spot now behind him. The place where he knew Damon’s body lay. 

“ _Dean, what have you done_?” You panted and before Dean could say anything, the door behind you was thrown so hard backwards that the door knob broke off, taking some of the door with it as it skidded across the floor. “Y/N what happened?!” That kid Tyler was the first to bust into the room, his eyes flashing an iridescent amber. 

A moment later, his girlfriend Caroline comes in behind him and Dean see’s the same flash of fangs he had seen on Damon before. She immediately flung herself at you and Dean raised his gun again, finally dropping into Hunter mode at the close proximity of monsters. Ready to fire another two rounds at the fanged blond who had you wrapped in her arms. Dean was a good shot. There was no way he’d hit you.

Tyler leaped at Dean and the Hunter instantly corrected his aim to point the barrel of his pistol at Tyler’s head as the kid grew fangs on his upper and lower jaw and roared a distorted wolf snarl at him. 

Just as Dean prepared to fire, someone grabbed his arm from behind and yanked it to point up towards the corner of the ceiling, firing the bullet into the wood as Dean squeezed the trigger. The gun was wrenched from Dean’s grasp and the Hunter flung himself to the corner, away from whoever was behind him and the boy with the wolf eyes that leapt at him. 

Dean felt his heart jump into his throat as he saw who had taken his gun. Damon was up and kicking, glaring angrily at Dean as he fisted the pistol in his hand. “You prick.” Damon sneered at Dean as he ejected the mag and cocked back the chamber to remove the bullet nestled there. 

He flung the pistol and its parts into the far corner of the room as he growled. Dean didn’t take his eyes off of the red eyed monster. Damon looked down at his shirt then back at Dean before he spoke. “You have any idea how much this shirt cost?” 

In the blink of an eye Damon flitted forward and grabbed Dean by the neck, using the momentum of his run to slam Dean up against the wall behind him. His feet dangling a foot off of the ground as his hands came up to claw at Damon’s grip. 

Once Dean was able to raise himself a bit against the wall, enough to be able to breathe at least, his senses came back to him enough to feel the cold temperature of the man’s skin. Dean had never seen anything like this before. What the fuck was this guy?

Damon leaned forward and flashed fangs at Dean as he growled, “I think you’ve over stayed your fucking welcome in my house, Hunter.” Damon spat at Dean and the Hunter was able to examine the freak for the first time. 

Only his canines where elongated and sharp. The rest of his teeth were humanistic and flat. His eyes were red where they was supposed to be white, and his ice-white eyes that had been eerie when they had been human were now anything but as the tendrils of color seemed to fade into the bloody pools surrounding them.

Confusion and apprehension flooded Dean’s mind and he finally managed to pull himself together enough to speak. “What the fuck are you?” Dean asked, his voice deep and choked by the hand still wrapped around his throat. 

Dean tried to throw a glance at where he thought you might be but Damon’s hand changed position to where he was gripping Dean’s jaw hard to keep him looking down at his grotesque eyes as the man smiled coldly. 

Damon leaned closer and allowed Dean’s body to slip down the wall about six inches before he whispered, “Hasn’t the ‘ _Great Hunter_ ’ figured it out yet?” Damon laughed and the sound shook his frame, including the appendage still pinning Dean to the wall. 

“Man, how in the world did you get _my_ Y/N to fall for someone as ignorant as you?” Damon shook his head and licked his tongue over the sharp set of fangs slowly before he leaned in to press right against Dean’s ear to speak. “I’m a Vampire kiddo.” And Dean froze in his struggle. ‘ _What_?’ 

*****

You were speechless. This couldn’t be happening, right? Damon had just blurted out the biggest secret he had to a stranger. A _Hunter_! He had purposefully said it with no shame just to get under Dean’s skin and watch the bigger man squirm. How could this be happening?

A darkness lurched in the pit of your stomach and you found yourself burrowing closer to Caroline where the girl was wrapped around you. You started hoping that whatever powers that be would open a hole under you and swallow you up. You wanted to try and hide from the disbelief and horror filling Dean’s eyes. 

But he shot Damon. Pointed a gun at Caroline **and** at Tyler when they were just trying to protect you. You had _told_ Dean, that your friends were different. That other Hunters would see them as monsters. You thought that he had understood that not all supernatural’s were a danger to people. 

All your friends had ever done was protect each other and the people in Mystic Falls. Alaric had died proving that. Jeremy killed the real monsters that threatened his home and his friends. Tyler risked his life to save dozens of other Hybrids from Klaus in the past. Caroline taught Elena how to manage being a vampire after she was turned so that she would never hurt a human. 

If Dean could turn the gun on them, would he do the same to you? You were a supernatural being. Was that all it took to warrant a bullet in your chest? You had killed humans before. Dean had seen that for himself. Would that be enough to end your life in his eyes? 

It was still hard for you to cry. But you felt the heat behind your eyes and the water spill down your cheeks as you felt your heart clench in your chest. You were starting to fall in love with Dean. But if he found out you had been hiding something this important from him, would he still love the you he has seen, or would his image of you shatter because of what he hasn’t seen?

“Aww, what’s the matter Deanie-boy?” Damon pouted sarcastically. “Realizing Y/N’s had better than you finally sinking into that thick ass head of yours?” Damon snarled and his lip pulled up to flash fangs directly in Dean’s face. That’s when you spoke up. “Damon stop!” You turned away from where you had been hiding in Caroline’s hair to glare blearily at Damon. 

Damon swung around and pinned his exasperated gaze on you, looking like he utterly couldn’t understand why you were sticking up for the ragdoll currently in his grasp. He turned back to glower at your boyfriend. By this time, it looked like he really didn’t want to let Dean go, and that made you nervous.

You pulled away from Car to move closer to Dean, ignoring the tug the blond gave your arm as you made your way forward. Dean’s face was in view but Damon’s grip on his jaw prevented him from turning his head to look at you. You took a deep breath and reached out to Damon’s arm, pulling on it until the man’s bloody gaze fell on you. 

“Please Damon.” You whispered, your voice refusing to raise even a decibel higher. “Let him down. Let him go.” Damon took one look at your tear-filled gaze and released his hold on Dean, allowing the Hunter to slip down the rest of the wall and onto the floor after his legs refused to catch him.

Damon’s eyes slowly began to revert back to normal as he made a move to reach out to you. “Y/N…” But you dodged his attempt and whirled around him in order to approach a panic-struck Dean still laying on the ground. His face was blanched white and his pupils were dilated. His body was trying to make a decision based on his Fight or Flight response but it looked like he just couldn’t move.

“Dean?” You said as you kneeled in front of the Hunter and slowly reached a hand out to touch him. To try to give some kind of comfort to him. You put your hand gently but firmly on his knee and gave it a squeeze. “Baby are you ok?” You hoped that the term of endearment would shake him from his frozen state. Thankfully, it seemed to get him to breathe again at least.

He turned to look at you, blinking rapidly as if he was having a hard time focusing on your face. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded ragged and pained. Almost as if he had just been gargling salt water and nails. “Y/N you…” He stuttered before swallowing and trying again. “He’s a… How is he a vamp?” And just like that, the slight hope you had held out that everything was still going to be ok after this moment ended was dashed. 

“His fangs aren’t right.” Dean went on, throwing apprehensive glances behind you where you knew Damon still stood like a sentinel at your back. “And his eyes, oh _fuck_ his eyes.” Dean’s green gaze paled slightly and you braved a glance behind you. Damon had crossed his arms with a look of frustration on his face. Though he had started to allow his eyes to revert to their original human look.

You wanted to yell at Damon. How could he do that? It was supposed to be your decision to tell Dean about everyone here and now, Damon just blew everything all to shit, just to get a rise out of the Hunter sitting beside you. Fear and frustration turned to anger as you tracked Damon’s gaze to look behind you. It was like the vampire didn’t even care that you disapproved!

Just as you opened your mouth to ground out a few choice words at Damon, you felt Dean shift behind you and your shirt was suddenly pulled up as the Bowie strapped to your back was unclipped from its sheath. 

You yanked yourself forward as spun just in time to see Dean tighten his grip on the blade. “Dean, what are you… hey!” Damon suddenly reached down and snatched you away from Dean just as the Hunter had started reaching for you.

Dean shot to his feet and fell into a fighting stance instantly, his face screwed up into a terrifying mask of rage and bloodlust. It took your breath away to see him look so frightening. Damon’s arm tightened around your middle and he snarled at Dean, unwilling to allow the Hunter to touch you while a knife was in his hands. 

“Get your fucking hands off her!” Dean yelled at Damon and twirled the knife in his hand to brandish it at the vampire holding you. You weren’t sure if you agreed that he should at the moment. This was a different side of Dean. This was a conceptual killer. 

It made you uneasy and unceremoniously reminded you just how little you knew Dean. After only a short time, you thought you knew the Hunter. Evidently you were wrong and you felt your hands tighten on Damon’s arm. Damon, in turn, pulled you around to stand behind him. “You’re the one that’s not gonna touch her, Hunter trash!” He snarled.

Tyler and Caroline moved suddenly and appeared beside Damon, standing ready in case the Hunter chose to attack. Dean’s eyes moved from each one of them rapidly, taking in the situation and trying to come up with a plan. Dean wouldn’t get out of here if Damon and the others decided to keep him here… or worse. 

Overwhelming instincts took over as you shoved at your fear of the Hunter. Dean was still Dean, even with this new side rearing its nasty head. The side of him that you have gotten to know was still in him. You had seen it not a few hours ago when you were in bed together. You just had to remember that. 

You pushed away the trepidation and ducked around both Damon’s and Tyler’s outstretched arms. You turned to face your friends and your ex, spreading your own arms out wide to bar them from getting past you to Dean. You slowly backed up, hoping Dean wouldn’t accidently let you stick yourself with your own knife as you began to press his body back towards the wall with your own. 

“Please…” You began, your voice breaking and forcing you to start again. “Damon please, don’t.” You were so sick of feeling small. Damon was the only one that could make you feel like you overestimated your own strength sometimes. At this moment, that was exactly how you felt. 

Damon looked at you and then turned a raging glare to Dean behind you as the Hunter’s arm came up to wrap around your middle possessively. The vampire snarled furiously over your head as his teeth ground together audibly.

“Y/N, baby, you know I love you and have all the respect in the world for you,” Damon began through his clenched teeth. The veins leading to his eyes shifted slightly beneath the flesh and you found yourself squirming at the sight as he continued. “but this _kid_ just pulled a gun on me.” Damon snarled at Dean and the Hunter tightened his grip on your waist, thrusting the Bowie forward to position itself in front of you, ready to slash at Damon if he reached for you. 

“He shot me in my own house after I offered him a room to stay in. A room, might I add, that you two put to good use a few hours into being here despite my rule of ‘ **No Fucking** ’ I gave him when he got here.” Ouch, okay, maybe you deserved that. You knew better. The walls might as well be made of paper when you’re trying to keep a vampire from hearing anything. 

“And now,” Damon continued, his eyes brightening again to crimson. “he pulls a knife on my friends, _your_ friends, Y/N, and…” Damon narrowed his gaze and somehow his pupils radiated an even darker flame of rage when he stared at the knife again. 

“Is that the Bowie that **I** gave you? The one from our two-year anniversary?” Damon’s voice was shaking and his body began to tremble with the overwhelming need to attack Dean. You braved a glance behind you. The Hunter was holding his ground with a defiant glare of disgust aimed right at Damon. It made you wince as a sharp pain jabbed at your heart. 

You knew your expression shifted in sadness and your head bowed slightly in resignation. They weren’t going to stop. They already hated each other too much. Your mind wandered to the Bowie and the sheath still strapped to your back. 

It was precious, that knife. Damon had gotten it specially made by a witch friend of his and there was an inscription on the dark leather sheath that read ‘ _Forever to my Beloved_ ’ in Italian along the sewn edges. It was gorgeous. 

“Un-fucking-believable Y/N.” Damon’s disapproving growl brought you out of your thoughts and you looked up at him again. “No one was ever meant to even _touch_ that blade other than you.” Damon hissed, more upset than angry now though he was still very much livid. “What are you doing with this clown anyways?” Damon asked, earning him a glare colder than the winter winds that had raged when you had first left Mystic Falls. 

Damon had the good sense to flinch back then, knowing that he had just crossed a line and struck a nerve. “I said stop Damon.” You warned, this time the strength within you resonated in your voice. “You have no right to lecture me on who I date.” You took a step closer to Damon, pushing Dean’s arm away from your body.

Dean tried to follow but you turned and pushed a hand into the center of his chest, forcing him back to become one with the wall. “Is this about Elena?” Damon asked, disbelief in his voice and you turned to look at him. Your lip hitched up into a disgusted sneer. “Tell me something Damon ‘cause I’m curious. Was there a shortage of drunken floozies at the Grill when I left, or were you really that heartless that you needed **her** to fill _my_ spot?” 

Damon’s sneer fell from his face and one of shame passed into his eyes. You looked at Caroline and Tyler too who hadn’t said a word throughout this whole ordeal. They both shifted uncomfortably, no longer in a stance to fight as they tried to look anywhere but at you or Damon. Vaguely, you wondered where Elena, Jeremy and Bonnie were before dismissing the thought. At the moment, you couldn’t care less.

“Y/N, it wasn’t like that,” Damon defended, his eyes growing round and pleading as the last traces of red fled from the whites. “She was my best friend Damon. How could you do that?!” You ground out angrily. “I told you it was a mistake. I wish I could take it back. You were everything to me. You still are. And when you left I…” Damon paused, struggling with the words as well as the embarrassment of airing his feelings in front of Dean as well as your friends. 

Damon’s right hand came up and ran through the long locks of his raven hair in frustration as he shook his head. “I never should have let it go that far. I know now, we never should have been anything more than friends…” “Damon?” A soft voice echoed into the room and the three people in front of you all turned to see Elena standing in the doorway. Tears blurring her eyes as she looked at Damon in shame and despair. 

‘Huh, so that’s where she was.’ You thought absentmindedly. In a twisted sort of way, you did feel bad for the girl that you had once considered a sister. But at the same time, her posturing over Damon earlier had severely pissed you off, no matter how much you wanted to deny it. If nothing else, this would make her stop trying to puff out her chest at you. 

“Elena, wait…” Damon started, taking a step towards her and away from you. “That came out wrong. I just meant that…” Elena flitted forward and the loud resonating of a hard slap echoed through the room as her hand met Damon’s left cheek. 

You felt your heart squeeze tightly in your chest and your stomach pitted with anger at the sound of someone hurting Damon. You clenched your hands into fists and lowered your arms to your sides before you tried to react to it. This wasn’t the time. Damon may not be Elena’s but he wasn’t yours either.

Elena turned and fled the room as quickly as she entered it, Bonnie and Caroline quickly took off after her as they yelled her name. Jeremy glared furiously at Damon before landing an apologetic and somewhat frustrated look at you before turning and taking off after his sister as well. 

You angled your gaze back at Damon and took a moment to take in the look on his face. The vampire had a hand pressed to his injured cheek though you knew the sting had already faded. The atmosphere in the room hung heavy around you and you could practically taste the awkwardness and despair. After another moment, you sighed. 

“I think it’s time we get going.” You turned and looked from Damon to Dean and back. Dean looked completely for that plan but Damon looked as if you had just taken the knife stuck in his heart and twisted it. “We’ve obviously overstayed our welcome.” You reached out and took hold of Dean’s canvas shirt sleeve, tugging on it gently to get him to move. 

After another moment, Dean’s feet finally decided to work and he followed you closely as you moved to step around Tyler and Damon. The Bowie, you noticed, still clenched tightly in his hand. Your heart yearned for it back but your head told you this was not the time to be defensive over a gift from your ex. You clenched your jaw and continued walking.

“Y/N, c’mon… don’t go.” Tyler said softly reaching out to place a hand on your shoulder. You looked back at him with sad eyes as you reached up and pulled his hand off. His fingers curled over your thumb, the most child-like way he could have possibly hoped to hold you in one place. Your heart wrenched in its space within your chest again. God, you didn’t want to leave. 

You sighed again. “Sorry Ty,” You said with a sad smile. “I’ve got to. Took me a while, but I’m glad I got to see you guys one more time.” You released his hand and let it drop away from yours as you pushed Dean in forward to keep him walking. “Sorry I couldn’t make it last a little longer.” You turned away and followed Dean out the door to the room. 

You walked all the way to the room you had put your stuff in and opened the door. You bent to grab your daggers still wrapped in the bundle on your bed but when you turned to get Dean’s jacket from the bed he snatched it and donned the leather himself, placing the wallet in the inside pocket before adjusting the lapels of the jacket. 

Okay, yeah. You might have deserved that. You got up, removed the daggers from the leather bundle and fitted each into a separate boot, and walked out of the room and back into the hall. Damon stood at the entrance to the staircase. To leave the house, you would have to get past him… again.

“Y/N you know you don’t have to go.” Damon whispered and the agony you heard reverberating through his voice crushed your own in your throat. “You and your Hunter can stay here until your car is fixed. Or until someone else can come get you.” Tempting, but you couldn’t accept. You straightened your shoulders and walked forward. You almost made it past him… until he put a hand on your arm, pleading for you to stay through the gentle hold. 

“Y/N… please.” Those words had your resolve wrenching in about ten different directions. You were also fully aware of the dark look Dean was giving you both as Damon continued. “You know I can’t just let my girl sleep on the streets.” His voice was shaking again. His control was slipping. You closed your eyes and mentally screamed.

“You and the Hunter can still stay for as long as you need.” Damon said. “You’re still without food, money or a place to sleep for the night and I can’t just let my girl…” “I’m your ex, Damon.” You interrupted and opened your eyes to look into agony filled blue eyes. “Not your girl… Not anymore.” 

Who knew such a simple sentence could kill in the most painful way possible. You could almost literally feel your heart begin to crack in half. You pulled away from Damon only to be met with a warm, calloused hand clasping itself with yours. You didn’t have to turn around to know it was Dean’s.

You really wished he hadn’t done that. The act was purely territorial and right now it only served to make you feel used and make Dean look superior. But even so, you allowed the touch and even squeezed his hand a bit tighter as Damon looked down to study the contact. 

It hurt more than when you left the first time. It felt colder. Dirtier. You wished you had never come back here. Wished that Dean had never forced you to come back. It may very well be the end of yours and Dean’s relationship now but at least you’d be able to say ‘I told you so’ to him once you said goodbye to Sam, Bobby and Brutus. At least someone deserved a proper goodbye this time.

You pushed your way past Damon’s still form and down the stairs, dragging Dean deftly behind you. No one stood in the hallway. No one grabbed you on your way through the parlor. No one called out your name as you made it to the door. No one cried for you to turn back and stay here forever. 

No one stopped you as you opened the door, walked out, and closed it behind you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, thought's, comments?


	20. A Midnight Dreary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry it took me so long again to post. I had to start putting in applications for a new college since I'm almost done with this semester. But its all good now so maybe I'll finally have a bit more time. Anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter. Please leave comments. I absolutely love ready what everyone has to say.

You walked with your arms wrapped around your middle down the road towards the only place you knew would offer sanctuary for the night without financial means. The old mausoleum in the back of the Mystic Falls cemetery. God, you never expected to be in this position. Coming home. Seeing everyone again. Seeing Damon. It used to be a dream that you felt could one day be fulfilled. But that fantasy was gone now. Why did it all go so wrong? Your arms wrapped tighter around your body as a cool breeze blew by. Why had you not at least grabbed a jacket?

‘ _Because all the coats you could have grabbed would have been Damon’s_.’ That little voice in the back of your mind whispered sadly. Yeah. Taking anything from Damon now would only make things worse. Better just to tough it out. The mausoleum would offer some protection from the wind when you reached it.

Absentmindedly, you arched your back to feel the hilt of the Bowie press against your spine. When it didn’t, you inwardly sighed and walked a bit faster as the other pair of thumping feet trudged after you. You wanted to ask for the blade back but doing that would start another argument you were so not in the fucking mood for. 

You clenched your teeth as another breeze, stronger this time, blew past you. Sweeping into your clothes and whipping your hair over your shoulders as you continued to walk forward, making you shiver again. You needed to get out of the cold. 

“So, we’re really not going to talk about this?” You heard Dean raise his voice in question behind you. Dread weighed heavily on your shoulders as your steps faltered. You came to a stop and kept your eyes on the asphalt beneath your feet as you felt the bigger Hunter come up beside you.

Your heart skipped a beat as you felt his critical gaze on you but after another moment, you swallowed hard and continued walking as you answered over your shoulder. “Not really much to talk about after that.” You answered smoothly but your voice was monotone. Stiff and indifferent. Almost bored. 

Completely opposite of how you were feeling with the whirlwind of emotion crashing around in your chest. Dean didn’t seem to notice as he picked up the pace again to match the length of your stride. Treading alongside you as he waited for a more in depth answer. 

Your gaze shifted to look at Dean’s free hand by his waist as you walked. The Bowie was now slipped into the space between his jeans and belt. At least he hadn’t tried to throw it away somewhere along the edge of the road. You sighed. My ex, Damon Salvatore, is a Vampire. I broke up with him and left Mystic Falls almost six years ago now.” Your thoughts became distant and your mind drifted as you continued down the ways towards the cemetery. 

Somehow recounting the information made everything seem almost like a dream and thus gave you a false hope that maybe this _was_ just a dream. Maybe you fell asleep after Dean and you had sex and you’d just wake up any second wrapped in Dean’s strong arms. 

You’d laugh at yourself for this later right? Stupid dream. Awful dream. You were just dreaming. It’d be ok, right? You rolled your eyes and mentally kicked yourself. Stupid. You took a breath and continued as your nails bit into the palms of your hands. Caroline and Elena are also Vamp’s. Tyler is a Vampire, Werewolf hybrid. He and Caroline are together and they are happy. Jeremy is a Destined Hunter but he’s still human.” You paused, considering the information. 

“He is in love with Bonnie and she loves him back. Bonnie is a Witch. Her ancestors are the Coven that first invoked the spell I told you about that surrounds this town. Matt, Meredith, and Sherriff Forbes are all human.” 

You kept facing forward but your gaze shot to the side again to study Dean just as critically as he was doing to you. “Satisfied?” You asked, not really caring for an answer. Your eyes returned to the road and you said nothing else. This was not what you had ever wanted to discuss with Dean. Beside you, Dean let out an exasperated snort. “C’mon Y/N, don’t give me that shit.” He said indignantly. You’re a Hunter. One of the best I’ve ever seen. How the hell did you end up dating a Vamp?” Dean took longer strides as he turned his body to face you and kept walking, slightly in front of you now.

“And besides that, how the fuck is he a Vampire anyway?” Dean’s eyes hardened and a look of contemplation and residual disbelief crossed his face. “I’ve never seen a vamp that looked so… traditional.” Dean looked absolutely flustered. He was Dracula incarnate. His fangs, his irises…” Dean shook his head. “Other than the whole veiny-eye thing he looked as if he was a bloodsucker that popped straight out of a big screen directory.” 

That made you smirk. ‘ _I thought the same thing when I first met him_.’ You pondered thoughtfully. Which earned you an exasperated snort from Dean. How could he be so opposed to the idea that a Hunter could have a relationship with a supernatural? 

For God sake Sam had even told you about a few of his exploits. Did Dean give his brother this much hell over it too? For some reason, you doubted it. Dean shook his head again and his brow furrowed dramatically. “How the hell did you think dating a bloodsucker was a good idea? How’d you even meet him?” Dean ranted, thoroughly riled. 

“And did you not notice those fucked up features, or was he a gentleman vamp and kept his bloody eyes and fangs to himself on the first date?” His rambling ended but he still looked at you expectantly, demanding an answer. You gritted your teeth and scowled at the Hunter. You were getting more than just a little agitated by all of the underhanded jabs Dean kept making about Damon’s appearance. 

You personally had always found the eyes endearing and the fangs sexy. You had fond memories of those eyes on you as you rocked together in bed. And the feel of those strong fangs against the sensitive skin of your neck… or lower. 

Then Dean broke into your calm. “He’s a monster Y/N. You saw how ready he was to kill me. If I hadn’t…” You whirled around to stand in front of him. Stopping his motion as you fisted the lapels of his jacket and used the momentum to pull him closer. 

You glared up into Dean’s eyes as your body pressed against his firmly. “He was going to compel you in the beginning.” You sneered. “It would have been painless.” Your fists tightened in the material you held. 

“The moment would have ended there. But I was the one that made a fucking vervain charm for you because I didn’t want Damon taking advantage of you.” You reached down and grabbed Dean’s wrist, pulling the material of his sleeve down to reveal the bracelet tied tight around his wrist. "I had everything under control until you busted in and pointed a gun at Damon’s head. When the compulsion didn’t work, your immediate reaction was to shoot him?” You released Dean and pushed away from him.

“Damon never would have tried to kill you because he knew it would have hurt _me_.” And that was the truth. He saw it when you had asked him to let Dean go, even though you could tell he seriously hadn’t wanted to. 

This was not a good subject. You could already feel the headache that was threatening to form behind your eyes as you took a deep breath and tried to reign in your emotions. Only Dean seemed to be able to do this to you. How was that possible? "Am I just supposed to take your word on that?” Dean asked incredulously. “I chose to believe in you when you talked me into going to that damn monster den in the first place. I trusted you, and look what just happened.” Dean growled, his own temper flaring. 

“Your nightmares made me worry about you and that’s what made me bring you here to this backwater town. For closure.” Dean breathed in hard, ragged breaths. He was trying to leash himself too. His voice leveled off in a gentler tone when he spoke again. No less loud but the anger was suppressed slightly. It didn’t feel like he was yelling at you anymore. At least that was a good sign.

“Now I know _that_ shit ain’t gonna happen and it’s _my_ fault for bringing you here, but we are going to discuss this.” Dean reached forward and took your arm. The hold was gentle. You could easily break it if you stepped back. “Because you lied to me.” You took that step away.

“I’ve never lied to you.” You whispered, anger amping up again. “I’ve told you everything I could that wouldn’t jeopardize the people I love. But I have _never_ lied to you.” Dean scoffed. “For the people you love, huh?” He sneered. “For whose love did you try to keep me from bringing you here Y/N?” He asked, his eyes alit with emerald flames. “For whose love did you keep a secret that your ex-boyfriend, the one you’ve been having nightmares about for the past month, was a fucking **Vampire**?!”

That made a deep scowl settle its unflattering weight upon your features. Dean was pushing the already very thin boundary between what you were willing to talk about and what you might end up drop kicking him for. “What more did you want from me Dean?” Your voice notching higher as the indignation set in. 

Dean threw his hands out in front of him, palms facing towards Heaven. “I wanted you to be honest with me!” His voice deepening with the emotion welling in his vocal cords. “I wanted you to trust me. The way you did before this whole thing happened. You told me about your past. About the shit you endured and now…” 

You interrupted him. “And now, look where we’re standing Dean.” You snapped. “You want the truth? Damon saved my life and then we fell in love.” You sneered and you saw the scowl deepen on Dean’s face as you continued. “What?” The Hunter growled and you paused. 

“It was just another job,” You began, slightly calmer, calling to mind the entire story before you met Damon. “Clay and I were finishing up a case in Georgia when I found a report online about a multitude of violent animal attacks.” You took a deep breath, trying to get a handle on your anger. 

“Victims, shredded. Torn apart, drained of blood. At first we thought it was wolves. The reports indicated something furry with long claws cut up the bodies. Naturally, Clay and I went to check it out.” You said, finally getting a handle on your emotions. "When we got into Virginia the first thing Clay did was post us up in the old Motel that used to stand on the other side of town.” You took a moment to look at Dean and trace the lines on his face that indicated his focus on what you were saying. 

After another moment, you continued. “We staked out the town for a week before there was another attack. We went our separate ways for the investigation… and that’s when I found Tyler.” You finished and you watched as Dean’s critical gaze expanded comically wide. 

“Wait a minute, back up.” Dean began. “You mean your friend Tyler from back at the house? That Tyler?!” He growled. You could see the smoldering of disbelief and betrayal behind the green glare he watched you with. You pursed your lips but answered the question all the same. “Yes. That Tyler.” You said, short and clipped. You sighed, thoroughly frustrated but not with Dean. “He was defending himself.” You supplied. 

“It was a full moon that night and I found him when he was going through the change. He had gotten out of the crypt he usually phased in. He couldn’t control the shift.” You shook your head and started walking again, Dean instantly scrambling to keep up beside you. 

“Damon had been tracking Tyler that night so when I found the wolf, Damon found me.” You reached up and brushed your hair back away from your face before wrapping your arms tighter around your body. “I saw his eyes then. Deep crimson around blue irises.” You gasped softly at the memory. It had been earthmoving. You had never seen anything like that before. 

“I knew he wasn’t human.” You frowned, the memory still leaving you in wonder even after so many years. And yet, Damon was still Damon. Humanity was still there, unlike with the Alpha’s bloodline. “He saved me. Jumped in front of Tyler before the wolf could hurt me.” You stared straight ahead, mindful of Dean’s watchful gaze on your every move. “He tried to compel me to forget what I had seen. How I had seen him. But I… have a natural immunity to it…” You said, skirting the full truth.

Dean interrupting your thoughts. “Wait.” He said, reaching a hand out to place on your shoulder. “That’s the second time you mentioned ‘ _compelling_ and _compulsion_.’” He squinted in confusion. “What is that?” 

You sighed again and grabbed his arm, tugging him to the side of the road as a car came up from the direction you were walking. “Basically, Compulsion for Mystic Falls Vampires is when they can reach into you. They can pull any string of memories out of your head and manipulate them to fit into what they want, or they can erase entire segments of time from your life.” You continued to walk. “If they want you to forget an entire event that happened or just cut out a few snippets and alter a detail or two, then they can.” You glanced sideways at Dean. 

“Let’s say, if you are wondering how you and your passenger walked away from a head-on collision with a wide-load eighteen-wheeler without so much as a scratch…” You ran your eyes up and down Dean as you continued to walk. 

“That’s also possible. And with a little help from some vamp blood,” You added, motioning to yourself then to Dean, offhandedly. “The story is more than a little believable.” You sighed at the constant vagueness that seemed to have built itself into your speechlessness when it came to anything concerning Mystic Falls. 

“What?!” Dean nearly yelled. “You’re saying that… the crash? We were… How bad were you hurt Y/N?” Dean stepped into your path and stopped you from walking. “Tell me.” He said, almost begging. You watched him for a moment, debating on answering Dean. After another brief moment of contemplation, you yielded. “I’m not sure about you, because I wasn’t conscious when they pulled me from the wreckage.” You murmured, not missing the fear and pain behind Dean’s worried eyes. 

“But Damon made sure I knew my own injuries.” “Oh, he did huh?” Dean growled. You shot him a glare. “Do you want to know or not?” You said, not unkindly. Dean curled his lip but said nothing. You began again.

“Multiple lacerations. Over a dozen broken bones.” Your throat tightened as you recounted Damon’s raving. “A concussion, ruptured kidney, a collapsed lung and internal bleeding from three major organs.” You finished and the look on Dean’s face made it seem as if he were about to be sick.

“If there was anything more he didn’t tell me and he didn’t say anything about how bad you were. I’m sure Meredith will tell me if I ask her.” You huffed. Dean looked like he was desperately fighting the urge to pace or brood. Perhaps both.

“How the hell did vampire blood heal all of that?” He nearly spat. “In my experience, which is pretty fucking intimate knowledge might I add, vamp blood was nothing short of infection in liquid form.” Dean growled angrily.

“So after the crash we were both fed vamp blood… ‘Type V’ I’m assuming? So now we’re both infected, does that mean we’re going to turn?” Dean was fuming. “No!” You snapped out firmly. “Listen to me Dean.” You pleaded. "The vampires in this town are from a much purer bloodline than the ones we’re accustomed to dealing with. They look more traditional because they _are_.” You explained somewhat cryptically. 

“Damon and every other vamp in Mystic Falls as well as a few others outside of it have a separate bloodline from the Alpha Vamp that sired the others. A witch originally created their blood sires, while Eve’s evil is what spawned her children to be monsters.” You took a calming breath.

“The Originals are immortals with vampire aspects but not like the ones born of the Alpha. A dead giveaway is the fangs. Damon and his bloodline only have the canine fangs. The Alpha Vamps kin have all teeth pointed.” You offered. “Those vampires from the Originals’ lines have blood that have healing abilities. It won’t turn you just by entering you. But…” You hesitated, cutting your words short far too quickly for Dean to let go. 

“What?” Dean asked and now he just seemed on the verge of a major freak out. But you resolved to tell him. At least enough so that he could understand. If he didn’t know the most important parts then he would be liable to get himself hurt further down the road… or worse.

You ran a hand through your hair, utterly frustrated as you blew out a breath. “If you die while the blood is still in your system… then you will, come back.” You forced out and Dean’s breathing was only getting deeper and heavier as he battled his conflicting emotions. “As a vampire, right.” It wasn’t a question. Dean was just confirming what you said. You simply nodded slowly before shooting forward to explain more. “But Damon and the others are different Dean.”

Dean let out a frustrated _tsk_ as he threw his whole head into an exasperated eye roll. You ignored it as you continued. “They can control themselves Dean.” Dean whirled on you. “Oh yeah, they were all models of self-control back at the house Y/N.” He growled.

You shook your head. “Stefan only fed on animal blood. Damon and Caroline only feed on donated hospital blood. I’m sure Elena does too.” You assured, unease spreading through you as you tried to reason with Dean. 

“They don’t _kill_ **anyone** Dean.” You stressed and Dean turned away. “Oh c’mon Y/N.” The Hunter exclaimed. “They’re all monsters. They were all ready to kill me back there.”

“Only because you _made_ yourself a threat back there Dean.” You interrupted hotly. “You shot Damon, nearly shot Caroline and Tyler, pulled _my_ knife out on all my friends. Which, I want back, by the way.” You sneered, giving a pointed look to the weapon holstered in the Hunters’ belt. 

Dean scowled furiously but promptly pulled the large blade out of where it was settled between his belt and jeans. He thrust the knife handle towards you and you took it safely but quickly from the Hunter and immediately slipped it back into the sheath at your back.

You shook your head as you looked back at him. “They don’t know you. They didn’t know what you were going to do. And you putting yourself between them and me only made it worse.” You glared into Dean’s heated green irises.

“You made it seem like you thought they were going to hurt me, and that offended them…” “Oh well, then I’m so sorry I offended the _monsters_ but I was only trying to protect my **girlfriend**.” Dean cut in sarcastically. 

You pulled your lip back from your teeth in distaste. “That’s another thing.” You moved closer to look Dean in the eye as you spoke. “Since _when_ did I become your girlfriend?” You asked incredulously. 

“We never even discussed what this whole thing actually _was_ between us.” You motioned between Dean and yourself. “So let me ask you, did you say that I was your girlfriend just to get a rise out of Damon? To get him to stop calling you my _friend_? What was it?” 

Your fists clenched as Dean squinted at you. “Are you serious?” He asked. “Why would you think that?” Dean looked genuinely surprised by the questioning. But you crossed your arms, neither your gaze nor your stance wavering.

“Answer the question Dean.” You threw back and Dean’s face scrunched up in irritation but you also saw a sliver of guilt. You watched him swallow around a lump in his throat before he answered. “I got tired of hearing him talk to me as if I didn’t know you.” Dean conceded. 

“I brought you back here because I wanted you to move on from what I _did_ know about you.” Dean shifted his stance. “I wanted to let you find your closure and then we’d leave and not worry about the nightmares anymore.”

“You didn’t even bother asking me if I wanted to come here. I thought I’d made it clear I never wanted to see this place again. And for good reason. Especially since I now had _you_.” You nearly growled and Dean’s eyes widened. 

“What?” Dean asked, his voice barely above a whisper. The shock in his expression and his voice gave you pause. You took a moment to calm your raging mind and sighed. When you spoke again, your tone was soft and crooning. Settling him as well as yourself.

“I’ll admit to you that I used to think one day I’d come back here, Dean.” You watched his expressions closely. The confession didn’t put a smile on his face but it didn’t spark that emerald fire again either so you continued. 

“But I also want you to know that the main reasons I didn’t want to come back now, was because of what was happening between us.” You could feel the words starting to stick to your throat. You were getting nervous. ‘ _Why am I nervous? It’s just Dean._ ’ You thought.

You tightened your hold around your body as the wind whipped around you once more. Ready to press on before Dean suddenly shrugged out of his jacket, and quickly wrapped it around your shivering frame. You sighed and blew out a shaky breath as Dean’s big warm hands rubbed up and down your arms to help warm you.

You sighed again and he pulled you closer, hesitantly, into his body to wrap his arms around you. Oh God he was so warm. You burrowed in closer to his chest, earlier anger at him forgotten, and appreciated the warmth. You looked up into his eyes. 

“I…” You paused, your words sticking in your throat again. You swallowed hard and tried again. “I didn’t want to ruin this.” One of your hands came up and your fingertips stroked Dean’s chest through the tight black cotton shirt. Your fingers thumping against the amulet Dean always wore below his shirt. “Us.” Dean’s eyelids fell and he leaned down to press his forehead to yours, taking a deep breath before opening them again and gazing directly into your eyes. This close, you could map every freckle beneath his gorgeous eyes as you lost yourself in the fluctuating shades of green in his irises.

“I wanted to give our relationship a chance to grow and I couldn’t do that if I saw Damon again.” Your fingers curled in the shirt over his heart and you fisted the material lightly. Just trying to hold onto him now made you feel like the floor would give way at any moment.

“I knew I couldn’t Dean.” Your voice shook and Dean’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Whether it was from displeasure at the confession or concern for you, you didn’t know but still you clutched at him. 

“Damon stirs things in me.” You admitted, finally looking away so that you wouldn’t see that sadness or anger anymore in Dean’s gaze. “It took every ounce of common sense and strength of will I had to leave the first time.” The urge to pace was strong. “Not just to save _his_ life but to save the others too.” Your voice shook and you felt Dean’s arms tighten just slightly around you again. A light squeeze of reassurance. It was enough for now.

“And now, years later I meet you.” You swallow back the lump beginning to form in your throat. “You make me feel things too Dean. I’ve told you things about myself I’ve never told anyone else, not even Damon.” You took a deep breath and blew it out shakily.

“I want to try to love you Dean.” You admitted. “I want the chance to see what it would be like to give _you_ my heart.” You hardened your nerve and looked up into thoughtful looking green eyes. “I want this to be _our_ time now.” 

Dean took a long time to answer and you had never felt the anxiety in your gut more strongly than you did in that moment. “I want that too Y/N.” He murmured quietly. One hand reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair out of your face as the breeze kicked up again. 

“I want us to have our shot. To be happy the way you were here.” The frown you gave him made him scrunch his eyebrows before you spoke. “I don’t want anything between us to remind me of Mystic Falls Dean.” You explained. “Atmosphere or otherwise.” You said and smirked slightly. 

The spark of happiness as the ‘otherwise’ clicked in his mind made Dean’s eyes glow that warm emerald once again and he leaned down and kissed you. It was quick. A light, chaste peck before he pulled back again to looked at you. 

His eyes searched yours for another moment before you reached up to cup the back of his neck and pull him down into a stronger, more demanding kiss. A quiet moan escaping as Dean’s tongue teased your lips. For that moment, it was like the first time again. There was no past, no reservations, no guilt. There was only Dean. Dean’s lips, Dean’s hands over your body. Dean’s heat seeping into your skin as you pressed together. 

Your fingers threaded through that soft sandy hair and tugged gently at the tresses. Dean let out a soft groan and his hands moved from your back down to your ass and gently squeezed. You moaned in return and when your lips parted Dean’s tongue invaded your mouth. 

This was the Dean you knew. The Dean you wanted. Not the one-track-mind Hunter who had nearly killed your friends and put a bullet in Damon. This was the Dean that you… you were really starting to fall for. Oh God… you were really falling for him. You had suspected the feelings were growing between you both but now the confirmation as you searched your heart gave you pause. And yet, you weren’t afraid. The realization had you slowing your movements but Dean quickly pulled you in. When you broke apart again, he cupped your cheeks and the smile he gave you reached his eyes as he watched you. 

As you stood there, both trying to catch your breath, Dean took the time to just run his gaze over your features and commit every detail to memory. After another moment, he smiled ever so slightly and spoke. “You’re so beautiful.” He whispered huskily. 

His thumbs brushed along your cheek bones simultaneously and your eyes closed for a moment to savor the feel of his touch as he sighed. “I …” Suddenly the roar of an engine cut Dean off and your eyes flew open as your head turned to see a black Chevy Silverado barrel down the road towards you and Dean. 

“Y/N, look out!” Dean yelled and leaned down to scoop you up into his arms. “Dean, what are you…” You began to protest but Dean was already starting to run off of the road and towards the curb. Dean made it off of the road just before the huge truck careened down the lane you both had been standing on not a few moments before. As Dean turned to yell obscenities at the vehicle your gaze latched onto the license plate number. You would be making a call to Liz as soon as you were able to report this.

‘H8B•RED1.’ You filed the number away as Dean shifted you in his arms and you looked up at him. “Are you alright Y/N?” Dean asked, his gaze bouncing everywhere for signs of injury. It was cute and funny considering he picked you up and if he wasn’t hurt, how would you be?

You smiled up at him. “I’m fine Dean.” You set a hand on his chest, over his heart. “You can put me down now.” You said with a soft chuckle. Dean’s smile automatically fixed to his face as he shook his head and turned with you in his arms. 

“Nah, I like you right there.” He teased, his fingers digging into your side slightly, tickling you and causing you to squirm in his hold. “What are you doing?” You giggled out. “Cut it out!” You demanded playfully, trying to twist away from his devilish fingers to no avail. 

Dean chuckled adorably, “Do you give, baby?” He asked, switching position to move his left hand into that one spot between the curve of your breast and under arm. Ghosting the fingertips softly over the cloth covered flesh to tickle the sensitive skin. The sound you let out was nothing short of a breathy moan. 

“Dean,” You breathed out with as much seriousness in your voice as you could muster, which wasn’t at all that much, and gripped his arm tightly. “If you drop me I swear I’ll beat you up and then you’ll have to explain to Sam, Bobby and Castiel why your girlfriend kicked your ass.” You warned.

Dean laughed that deep, southern tinged laugh and it warmed your heart as much as his body warmed yours. “I’d never drop something so perfect, trust me baby your safe.” That charming smile gleamed and you melted against him again. Silver tongued little devil.

“Now, do you give?” Dean asked again, working the fingers of his other hand lower from your stomach to closer to the ‘V’ of your thighs. You sucked in a breath. “Ok! Ok, ok uncle. Uncle!” You laughed out harshly, a small snort making its way into it.

Dean chortled as his hands stilled and pulled your body in as he lowered to his knees. You laughed along with him as he settled you in his lap, still bouncing with giddiness before he leaned down and captured your mouth. 

Your heart swelled with the feeling. Laughing with Dean then having him kiss you this way. It was amazing. And near impossible to keep your lips puckered for a real kiss. Your mouth kept spreading into a huge grin. 

You broke apart when you laughed again and Dean pressed his forehead to yours. “What?” You asked, feigning innocence. He smirked down at you as he grabbed one of your hands and brought it up to place over his heart. “Our time now, right?” He prompted and your eyes narrowed as the smile softened.

You shifted your hand to entwine your fingers with his and curled them to trap the digits as he continued to gaze at you. “Our time now.” You confirmed and tilted your head to press your lips against his strong chin. 

For a moment, you both just sat in silence. Taking comfort in the warmth you shared between each other as the wind blew again. Only when you finally shivered did Dean sigh and shift you in his hold to set you down on the grass next to him.

Dean sprung up to his feet before whirling and offering you a hand. He pulled you up and helped brush you off before he took a step back to study you. “You alright?” He asked again. You smiled back and nodded.

*****

You made it to the cemetery just as the winds were starting to get aggressive. You made sure to give the respectful distance to all of the graves as you picked your way to the very back of the land. The small mausoleum stood unwavering beneath the borage of the brewing storm.

“We can stay in there for the night,” You began, eerily calm about the thought of sleeping in a tomb. “Hitchhike into town in the morning to meet Sam and Bobby before they reach the Boarding house.” You suggested and Dean looked eager as he nodded. Guess you weren’t the only one ready to get out of the cold. 

“Sounds like a plan.” Dean said, ducking his head further beneath the collar of his shirt. You reached out and took his hand, tugging him along as you made your way to the crypt. You gripped the glass pane door and pulled it open.

After Dean and you both slipped in you closed it tight and a violent shiver racked your spine. “Ugh!” You huffed, rapidly rubbing your arms up and down to warm the chilled skin beneath. “Why is it so cold?! It never used to be this bad and Fall’s barely started!” You complained and Dean stepped closer to you.

“No kidding.” He grumbled as he pulled you into his arms. “It’s colder than Snowman’s ass out there.” He joked, bringing a soft chuckle out of you. You pushed out of Dean’s hold but quickly tugged him over to the far corner away from the door.

“Sit.” You said gently and he did. He scooted to the side to make room for you but you stopped him with a soft foot on his thigh. You stripped the jacket off and handed it to him. “Put this on.” You said and Dean stared at you. 

“Y/N, its cold…” “Do it.” You said, interrupting gently. He took another moment before taking the large, warm jacket and putting it on before leaning back against the wall of the tomb. You smiled at him, he looked so cute when he was grumpy. 

“Spread your legs.” You ordered and Dean’s frown melted into a heated grin. “I’m all for taking you at any time of day Y/N but don’t you think there are better places to do this than in a crypt?” The Hunter asked, wagging his eyebrows sultrily. 

You laughed. “I’m going to sit there you goof.” You chuckled at him. “So we can both be warm, duh.” The look on Dean’s face said he didn’t entirely believe you. “Uhuh, sure.” He scoffed but spread his legs anyways. 

You shook your head and lowered to the ground before turning and scooting back to press against Dean’s chest. The natural bow of his legs making a nice mold to your own as you leaned against the Hunters strong torso. 

You reached back and gripped the material of the jacket and pulled it forward, tight against Dean’s back, and covered yourself in it too as Dean wrapped his arms around you again. You sighed at the relaxing feeling and he kissed your head.

“That’s better.” You commented and Dean hummed in agreement. You sat like that for a few minutes. The quiet calming and sweet as Dean played with strands of your hair. Then, he asked a question. “Can we… Can we talk about how you two met, Y/N?” Dean asked, more than a little hesitant as he whispered the question. Your body automatically tensed and you refused to turn to look at him.

Dean’s arms tightened a bit around you as he rushed to continue. “I swear, I’m not trying to start another fight.” He began, sounding sincere. “I’m honestly curious. How did the hunt go for you and Clay?” His curiosity was peeking through. 

“Was Clay able to meet Damon? Did he know what he was? After Clay died, how did you and Damon get together?” Soft rambling. Dean was nervous.

But his nervousness drained your apprehension. He was honestly curious. You sighed as you leaned further back against him, only then realizing that you had tried to pull away from Dean when he had asked the question. “If I tell you,” You began, turning your head enough to look into Dean’s eyes. “You have to _promise_ you won’t get all defensive or even a little bit mad.” You warned, pleading with Dean.

“It was years ago and _you_ are the one that asked. I won’t spare details but you have to give me your word you won’t get upset.” Dean took a moment to study you before hugging you close again. “I promise.” He vowed and you closed your eyes, thinking of where to begin. 

“When we got into town,” You started carefully, choosing your words precisely. “The first thing we did was start working the case. We had reports of people being torn up and shredded, unlike any animal attack you’d expect coming from this part of Virginia.”

You shifted against Dean, making yourself more comfortable as you continued. Dean wrapped his arms back around you as well. “Three days into our stay we got a lead. Werewolf was clearly our suspect but the strange thing was, none of the victims had missing hearts.” 

“What?” Dean interceded. “How is that possible? When werewolves are involved someone ends up missing a heart.” He stated as matter-of-factly as if he were talking about the rules of baseball. You turned to look at him. 

“Everything in Mystic Falls has an original bloodline derived from earth magic Dean. And everything made by a witch or by nature has a balance to it.” You paused, letting that sink in. “To an extent, the movies made by Hollywood closely resemble the supernatural creatures you’d find here.”

You held up a finger, ticking each subject off as you explained. “Werewolves here turn into full on wolves while werewolves you’ve dealt with before this only turn into scruffy, super strong humans.” You shrugged when Dean frowned. 

“The pure bloodline is almost extinct from what I know. Only a handful of packs still exist.” You supplied and Dean’s features shifted in a ‘that-makes-sense sort of mask. More than likely because he had never seen one before. With luck, he never would. The thought itself gave you shivers. You’d never let Dean go up against a shifted nature-were. Not on your life.

You mentally shook yourself and continued. "Werewolves here are weakened by aconite.” You said and Dean raised an eyebrow. “Monkshood?” You supplied. Switch eyebrows. You laughed. “Sorry, family taught me the old-world names. I mean wolf’s bane.”

Dean nodded his head, “Ah, gotcha.” He said, nodding again. You shook your head and giggled. “Anyways, the werewolves here are as fast as any vampire and one bite from one of them technically means certain death for a vamp.” You explained. 

Dean squinted at you. “Technically?” He prompted and you shrugged again. “There _is_ a cure but it’s close to impossible to get. Only a few vampires have ever gotten it, but only because they were worth more alive than dead.” You said, old anger stirring as you recalled Rose and then Damon’s poisoning. 

Damon and Rose’s phase came from a time out between you and Damon. A small tendril of jealousy wormed its way into your heart before it quickly died. You remember how Rose had been in her last moments. No one deserved to die like that. And Damon had given her peace before the end. You couldn’t fault him for that. The brooding vampire _did_ have a secret heart, after all. With others it was hard to see but you knew it was there.

“What’s the cure?” Dean pressed, snapping you out of you deep musings. You reached a hand up to press your fingertips against one temple, massaging the area lightly. The headaches were starting to get more consistent now. 

“Blood from an Original. The most dangerous one.” You pressed harder against the spot. “The blood of the Original Hybrid, to be exact.” You choked out, the image of Klaus emerging from your darkest thoughts. 

Your hand fell to cover your throat. Klaus had had a fondness for your blood. It had made you a target for the Original more than once, almost as much as Elena had been. The Hybrid had terrified you. “What’s a Hybrid?” Dean asked, reaching his hand up and intermingling your fingers with his. He lifted the hand to his lips and kissed the palm before settling both of them down over your heart as he wrapped closer around your body. You relaxed again. Here, you felt safe.

“Hybrids are a near impossible to make, supernatural creature. They are essentially vampires with a werewolf origin.” You explained, glad for a moderate distraction from the fear by trying to lay out the facts. You appreciated Dean’s subtle curiosity. 

“It’s a bit confusing, actually.” You frowned, trying to come up with the best summary that would make the most sense. “They can only be made if the person being changed is already a werewolf, and then there are certain requirements that have to be met before they can take the change.” You mused, calling each detail of the transformation to mind from what you remembered. 

“Like human Doppelganger blood from Elena, which is no longer possible. Blood from the Original Hybrid to bridge the gap between wolf and vamp. A snapped neck to start the transition and a mouthful of the Doppelganger blood when they wake up and presto, you have a Hybrid.” 

“Shit.” Dean murmured, awe lacing his voice. You nodded. “Vampires are different too.” You turned slightly, staring at a crack in the stone at your feet as you continued. “They have separate weaknesses too.”

“Vampires here are susceptible to sunlight. Damon, Stefan, Caroline and more than likely Elena too all wear Daylight rings. The bracelet I made you is steeped in vervain. An herb that burns them and can prevent compulsion.” Dean raised the bracelet up and examined it in the moonlight. 

“They only have the top canine fangs instead of a mouth full of them.” You turned to look up at the Hunter again. His green eyes were soft and focused. Listening to every word while watching your reaction as well.

“Crosses and holy water don’t work, of course. Neither does silver. Staking them though, will kill a vamp from the Original bloodlines.” You searched his eyes. “Please understand that I’m telling you this because I trust you Dean.” You stressed a bit on the word ‘trust’. 

“I want to show you a separate world than the one you know, but I need you to promise me that you won’t use this against anyone I care about here.” You paused as the frown line appeared on his brow. You licked your lips.

“That includes, Damon.” You whispered. Dean’s body went rigid against you for a moment as you both continued to stare into each other’s eyes. After another minute passed, Dean blinked and sighed, his body going lax again as he leaned his head back against the wall.

“I promise I won’t betray you Y/N.” He murmured softly. “I swear I won’t ever hurt you like that.” Your heartrate finally returned to normal and you took a deep breath. “But I reserve the right to be the jealous current boyfriend against your ex.” Dean said suddenly and you burst out laughing.

“So you admit your jealous.” You said, turning fully and breaking his hold on you as you draped your arms around Dean’s neck and leaned your forehead against his. He smiled up at you as his arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you closer. 

“Of course I’m jealous.” He sighed and his smile wavered to a small split of his lips as he gazed at you. “My girlfriend was dreaming of her ex while she slept with me and we get here and I meet the guy… He obviously still cares about you.” Dean shifted, tightening his arms around your waist.

“I know he can protect you, probably better than I can. And when he got all grabby with those octopus hands of his….” Dean shook his head and your smile fell completely as you pulled your arms back to cup his face in your hands, brushing the thumbs back and forth over his cheekbones again.

His eyes automatically closed, and it seemed to help him continue. “But then I realize that, since we’ve been here, you took my side no matter what.” And the small smile came back to his lips. The image made Dean’s face look so young and serene. It was breathtaking.

“At the hospital, you stopped him from hurting me… twice. You came to me and not him when you woke up. Back on the hill, you wanted to leave with me. You didn’t want to see him.” Dean opened his eyes and the soft shade of emerald you saw there was enough to stall your breathing as you gazed right back at him.

He raised his hand and brushed the knuckles softly against your cheek as he moved a stray hair out of your face and back behind your ear. “Am I wrong to think we can be happy too?” He leaned in closer, his breath fanning your lips as he continued.

“Maybe happier than you were here?” Dean’s eyes shifted to the side slightly before he carried on. “I know you weren’t a Hunter here. From what I heard from your conversation with Damon, at least that much is clear.” 

Dean sighed and turned those beautiful gems back on you. “I can’t offer you that.” He said, remorse in his tone. “I’m a Hunter, through and through. I can’t live the apple-pie life, it’s not for me.” He used the hand still on your cheek to gently grip your chin. 

“But I can honestly say that, I’d do everything possible to keep you happy.” His eyes narrowed as his lips pulled into a genuine smile. “We’d be Hunters,” He conceded before raising his other hand and cupping your other cheek and brushing his thumb across the skin like you did for him. You sighed at the feeling.

“But we’d be happy.” Your eyes shot open and Dean swiftly looked away, a hint of blush coloring his cheeks in the light of the moon. A long time passed with you just staring at his face while Dean sat absolutely still. 

You studied him for a long moment before bringing Dean’s face back to look into his eyes. “I don’t need to give up being a Hunter to be happy Dean.” You said softly, smoothing his hair back and making it into disarrayed spikes.

“I don’t need, the apple-pie life or greater protection than what you can provide.” You took a deep breath. “I don’t need Damon.” You leaned in and kissed the center of his brow and the bridge of his nose before pulling back. “I just need you.” 

A long moment passed between the two of you before you felt Dean’s arms tighten around your waist pull you closer so that your forehead rested gently against his. “I need you too Y/N.” He whispered back and you felt your heart flutter. 

After another moment, Dean rubbed your back and you both pulled back enough to look at each other once again. “So, to get back on topic,” Dean began, one hand reaching up to play with a strand of your hair. “Did Clay ever get to meet Damon?” Dean paused for a moment. “I mean, where they both walked away from the interaction?” He asked.

He was being considerate. You appreciated that. He more than likely had a good idea who was the cause of Clay’s death. But he wasn’t trying to make you feel bad about it. You thought back and a genuine smile crossed your lips. 

“Actually, yeah.” You giggled, remembering the interaction well. “About five days into the hunt here Clay and I were starting to think that whatever had been attacking those people was gone. We decided on a lazy night before we would head out the next morning.” You bit your lip, remembering how plastered both you and Clay had actually been.

You chuckled at the memory that had been full of tension the moment it happened. It seemed so stupid as you looked back at it now. But it had also been one of the last fun moments you had with Clay. You cherished it. 

“We went to the bar here in town and got totally wasted. One of the only times we let loose enough to have fun that way.” You smiled but you noticed that Dean was too. You gave him a grateful kiss on the lips before continuing. He seemed to genuinely want to understand. You appreciated him even more for it. 

“Anyways, while we were playing pool, Clay noticed that this guy kept glancing over at us and he swung around on him.” You laughed a bit harder. “He literally tried to drunk fight Damon. He was so hammered he nearly tripped on his way to the bar-top.” Dean chuckled then too, imagining someone stumbling their way over to start a fight with the man he now knew was a vampire.

You shook your head and raised a hand to start threading your fingers through the soft dirty blond hairs at Dean’s temple. “Of course, when Damon knocked Clay flat on his ass I had to get up and try my own luck.” You rolled your eyes. 

“Didn’t fare much better than my friend, but at least he only restrained me instead of knocking me flat. He ordered me a cup of coffee and made me drink the whole thing with my hands behind my back.” The image must have been hilarious because Dean was having trouble not busting out laughing. 

You gave him a half smirk and tugged gently at the hairs on the back of his neck. “When I finally got moderately sober, we sat and talked and he explained some of the finer points of the towns darker history. The same as what I told you.” You paused and searched his eyes. When he nodded back you continued.

“I thought he was just another supernatural history buff. Every town has at least one, you know.” You shrugged, an offhanded gesture. “But then it got me thinking that, there had been a few times where I came across a monster that really wasn’t so monstrous.”

Your voice took on a thoughtful edge as you recalled the rest of the events. “The next day Clay and I agreed that since no other attacks other than the ones that brought us here came up and the Sherriff was less than cooperative, we decided to head out in the morning… That day we heard of another attack and that night I found Tyler.” You pieced together the puzzle for him, and Dean’s smile faltered.

“So,” Dean began, his expression contemplative and confused. “When did everything go wrong?” He whispered, almost as if he was scared of talking louder in case it offended you. You closed your eyes and sighed. 

“When I got back to the motel I… I told Clay about Damon and the wolf that attacked me.” You licked your lips and opened your eyes only to stare at a dried leaf in the corner or the tomb. “I honestly just wanted to vent how amazing it had been. That something, I had no idea what at the time, had saved me, a Hunter, from being ripped apart by a Werewolf.”

Your hands tightened on the material of Dean’s shirt as you continued. “Clay didn’t see it that way.” You looked back into Dean’s eyes. “When I tried to reason with him against it he pushed me, said I was brainwashed.” You shook your head.

“Clay handcuffed me to the sink and left. When I picked the lock and followed his phones GPS he had Elena tied up with a blade to her throat.” You voice tightened for a moment and you had to take a minute to swallow around the lump forming in your throat. 

“When Damon and his brother found us I tried to get Clay to back off but he threatened me with the knife, saying if I got in the way he’d take me down to.” Even after so long, it still baffled you how your best friend and partner could do something like that. You shook your head. “You can guess what they did after.” Dean only closed his eyes in respect for the dead.

“I don’t know what had gotten into him that night.” You whispered, not trusting your voice to be any louder. “Whatever was going on with him, that wasn’t Clay. The man I knew would never have put an innocent in danger during a hunt. Never.” Of that, you were absolutely sure.

Dean pulled you closer and you leaned against him gratefully. The memory was unpleasant. You had watched Damon and Stefan kill Clay. A part of you had been horrified and wanted to cut off their heads instantly. But another part had soothed you, saying they had only killed another monster. It had been a nightmare of morals as your conscience warred with itself. You had never felt so drained in all your life.

You both sat like that, curled in each others arms for what felt like hours. Dean wrapped the jacket more firmly over your back and held you close while pinching both sides of the material together to keep you warm. 

Another few minutes passed like that before you pulled back to look into Dean’s soft green gaze. Just as you were about to thank him for listening, the heavy doors to the mausoleum flung open and instinct took over as you spun out of Dean’s hold with an arm stretched across his torso as if to shield him. You hand automatically unclipping your Bowie to brandish it in front of you.

You watched the now opened doorway with critical eyes as you scanned the darkness beyond for any sign of threat. Another moment, and then another, breaths coming in tight controlled burst before your weapon and the arm restraining Dean relaxed.

From beside you, you heard a distinctive ‘click’ and turned in time to watch Dean slowly lower his gun. Only then did you realize he had drawn it the same moment you had slipped free, and though your arm had been thrown over his chest to keep him back, his arm circled your waist to keep you close. 

Dean looked back at you then with a knowing smile and you both chuckled softly at the uncanniness of it. You reached back and sheathed you knife again as Dean holstered his pistol back into the waistband of his jeans. You leaned forward and gave him a kiss before leaning back to stand. 

When you got to your feet, you offered Dean your hand and helped pull him up, though Dean still managed to somehow make it look like _he_ helped _you_ up, thus maintaining his manliness. You just smiled and went along with it. 

The wind outside the tomb was still rioting as you approached the door. The cold air hit your skin and it felt like ice compared to the warmth you had just been sharing with Dean. As you made your way closer to shut the door again, movement in the shadows caught your eye and a tendril of unease coiled around your spine. 

“What’s wrong?” Dean whispered from behind you, stopping close once he noticed your body go ridged with tension. You nodded gently towards the dark as you whispered back. “I saw something moving outside.” Through clenched teeth you added. “Too tall to be an animal.”

Dean’s body shifted and you knew he was reaching for his gun. You did the same as you raised one leg to reach into your boot, withdrawing one of your daggers you had nestled in your boots as you prepared to leave the Boarding house. Both of you held your weapons at the ready as you took the lead into the dark first. 

As the first wave of biting winds crashed into your body, you felt Dean pull you back for a moment before the warm, soft leather of his jacket draped over your shoulders. You looked back to throw him a chastising look of gratitude, which he waved away with a silent nod of his head, before you turned and headed back outside again.

Your senses were on high alert as you navigated the terrain expertly, being careful to avoid the brittle mounds of leaves and twigs littering the ground as you patrolled the area. Dean made a hand motion to you that you should take one end while he took the other. The creeping twitch in your spine rang alarms in your head but before you could protest Dean was already moving away. 

You watched him for a moment, silently admiring the way he fluidly moved into the dark and blended in as he began his hunt. The uncomfortable twitch remained but you forced yourself to turn around and keep moving. The faster the area was deemed cleared, the faster you both could get back to the tomb and catch some sleep for the morning. 

About fifteen minutes later, you had thoroughly checked your whole side of the cemetery around the mausoleum. Once satisfied there were nothing but creepy owls and scampering mice roaming around in the trees and between tombstones, you turned back towards the crypt and waited for Dean. And waited. And waited. And waited still.

Something wasn’t right. Your heart began to race as the twitching of your spine began to burn with unease. You switched your dagger out of your dominant hand to reach back and unclip the Bowie once more as you gathered your courage and moved away from the tomb again in the direction Dean had taken.

As you walked, the burning grew and grew, blazing the skin beneath your clothes and for an instant, you cursed your physical body. Even when your father had bound you in this body the day of your exile, you had never despised the form more than you did this instant. 

The sense of fear and panic of being an unwilling tangible target had been one of the worst obstacles you had to face when you had been thrown into this world. ‘ _A Hunter that could be caught is a Hunter dead on the spot_.’ An echo of your father’s old credo broke into your mind as you checked every tree and tombstone as the ground was covered by fog. 

The hairs at the back of your neck stood on end and your arms began to prickle with goosebumps as you neared the far edge of the cemetery. Something was seriously wrong and your palms began to tingle as sweat gathered in the creases. Then it hit you. You had only ever reacted this way one other time… by one person.

Fight or flight responses kicked in and your heartbeat became erratic. You doubted any Vampire, Werewolf of Hybrid within 200 miles of this place couldn’t hear it. Something rustled in the bushes directly in front of you and you let out an involuntary gasp as propelled backwards and slashed wildly at shadows, tripping over an ivy-covered tombstone as you did.

“Shit!” You exclaimed as your body tipped You fell hard and flat on your ass, narrowly moving your weapons out to the side to avoid a collision of the blades with your body. Just like that, the confident, fearless Hunter you had been thirty seconds ago hides and this timid, helpless creature remains in her stead.

Your heart is pounding. Blood is roaring in your ears and you can’t breathe! A lump forms in your throat and you want to scream. Your mind barely able to realize that you don’t want to scream for Dean. No, screaming for Dean would get him killed along with you. You want to scream for Damon. You don’t have any time to process this desire however, before you see something move in the shadows mere feet from you.

You dropped the dagger in your dominant hand, opting for power over precision now as you began to scramble backwards on your ass away from the advancing shadow, only stopping when your back hit another grave marker and halted your retreat. You were trapped, with nowhere to go. 

You brought the Bowie up and settled the blade along your forearm. You watched as the silhouette of a man began to form and before you could make out any details of him, a wave of pain suddenly drowned your senses as you dropped the knife and squeezed your head between your hands as your doubled over and began to writhe in the dirt. 

Your eyes rolled into the back of your head as your screamed. A moment later your body began to convulse as the tidal waves of sheer agony continued to batter your body unrelentingly. You vaguely heard the deep rumble of Dean’s voice shouting something, probably your name, from just above you. 

You wanted to shout back, scream and demand that he run and save himself. But the only sound that passed your lips was the ominous wailing of your pain. You felt, rather than heard, two pairs of footsteps walk closer to you as another convulsion racked your body and forced you to throw up the burning alcohol from the party as well as acrid yellowish foam.

Then, as suddenly as the pain came it stopped. You lay there, covered in mud and bile, the harsh winds still snapping at the little heat left in your body as you whimpered. Unable to do much of anything else as you desperately tried to catch your breath. That’s when the looming shadow-man above you decided to speak, and it sent a deep-seated terror coursing through your spine.

“Well, well, well.” The familiarly low and accented voice reached through the fog of fear and exhaustion to send a new wave of dread into your aching body. Your eyes opened then, not even realizing that you had closed them, and focused your sight enough to make out the two pairs of boots settled right in front of your face. 

You took a deep breath and gathered your resolve to look your death in the face and shifted your gaze up to stare up at who was now above you. Dean struggled in the man’s grasp, blood coating his throat in a grizzly looking wound. His eyes were glazed but horror still shined within the dilated pupils.

Seeing Dean like that, you wanted to move. You wanted to get up, rip Dean out of his attackers’ hands and stab the thing repeatedly, even though you knew it wouldn’t do any good. You willed with all your might that your petrified body move into action. For Dean. But it wasn’t responding. It refused to obey. All you could do was convey through your gaze how sorry you were, and how terrified you had become.

“Now what do we have here?” The man’s voice cracked the heavy silence again and you swung your gaze over to stare into mocking and triumphant amber eyes. Dean’s blood gleaming in the moonlight as he smiled and showed off nightmarish fangs. The hand wrapped around Dean’s throat loosened just enough for the monster to run the back of his clawed fingers down the bloody side of the Hunters’ neck. Almost adoringly.

Dean struggled again and the hand wrapped around his throat again, harder this time, and forced Dean to submit. “Y/N Frost.” The man dressed in all black with a grey tie murmured down to you, a sadistic smile morphing his features in the half light of the moon. “Fancy a chat with an old friend now darling?”

You heart nearly stopped and you whimpered again, feeling yourself slowly loosing what little was left of your rational mind as the man tossed Dean aside and you followed the form of your boyfriend as he was gripped in that same phantom pain grip you had been subjected to. Sprawling on the ground among the tombstones and bellowing out his agony.

As you watched Dean and tears began to spring into your eyes, you felt your head get wrenched back painfully by a tight hold in your hair, exposing your throat. Your gaze snapped back to see the man’s fingers tangled in your tresses. The man’s other hand came up to pull you against his chest, drawing you closer to those menacing fangs as the hand in your hair loosened and trailed down your throat.

You resigned yourself to your fate as you swallowed your fear as the monster chuckled, provoking a response.

“Klaus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, thoughts, comments?


	21. An Old Face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Lol, its been so long since I've posted I am disappointed with myself. Hopefully this makes up for it. I'm currently working on another fic too so it's kinda sporadic with my free time. Also, I think the next chapter will have smut. Even if it goes a bit longer than the other chapters, I think the story needs a good, unhindered Dean/You scene before it can progress any further in the triangle. Kudos and comments, as always, are much appreciated! ;)

*A few moments earlier.*

*Dean*

Dean hated having to split up with you. Something in his gut just didn’t feel right about the situation. But the way he figured it, both of you were capable Hunters. Splitting up would cover more ground and make this go by faster. And, as things go, the faster you cleared the area, the faster you both could go back to the crypt and try to get some sleep. 

Dean grimaced. He didn’t quite relish the idea of sleeping on that cold ass concrete floor but he’d do anything to minimize your discomfort. Dean smirked at the thought of you sleeping draped over him. He was feeling better about where he stood in your world. He didn’t feel inferior to Damon at all now, though back at the house he had to admit that the feeling was there. 

Dean checked every corner of his side of the cemetery and came up with nothing. ‘ _This cemetery is so dead_.’ Dean thought to himself, smirking and knowing that Sam would just be shaking his head at the joke right about now. But the Hunter sighed instead. He didn’t realize how much this trip had actually made him miss his brother. 

He loved having your company, of course he did, but he and Sam hadn’t been separated this long in a while and Dean always got antsy when the kid was out of sight. Damn, he wished he had his phone. Dean shook his head. ‘ _Buck up Winchester_.’ He chastised himself. ‘ _They’ll be here tomorrow and you and Y/N will finally be out of this hell hole_.’ That gave Dean the push he needed and he straightened up to continue searching the rest of the cemetery. 

It took him all of twenty minutes to finish his side and with a firm nod at the accomplishment, the Hunter turned back towards the crypt and decided to go find you. But just as Dean came into view of the crypt, something tall and dark ran across the light of the moon and the fog covering the ground was disturbed. 

Instantly Dean had his gun up and aimed in the direction the mist was moving. The Hunter tensed as he looked into the dark. Every sense he had acquired over the years as a Hunter were going off in his head that danger was close. Yet the area was as quiet as could be with only the sound of his own thumping heart pounding in his ears. Every time he looked in a new direction his gun moved too.

This was too much. Something was out here stalking him, and just as he realized this, another thought came to Dean’s mind and he found himself running towards the side you had taken. This thing was hunting you both. 

Just as Dean was about to scream out to get your attention, something huge barreled into his side, knocking the wind from the Hunter’s lungs and landing on him hard for just a second before lifting off of him and disappearing. Dean laid there struggling to catch his breath as he heard that thing, whatever it was, begin to circle him. 

Dean forced himself to take a deep, agonizing breath before forcing his body to move, shoving himself up into a standing position. His gun was gone now, ripped from his hands when he had taken the fall and he couldn’t see it anywhere as he dragged his gaze back and forth across the leaf littered ground in an attempt to find it. 

A deep laugh echoed around the Hunter and Dean tensed again, bringing up his hands into a defensive position in front of him, though his confidence that close combat would actually be effective against whatever this thing was instantly waned as he saw the shadows begin to dance back and forth, mocking Dean as the monster moved ever closer. 

The light of the moon barely made the figure in front of Dean visible to swing at and when Dean took a shot and tried to smash his fist into the chest of the shadow approaching him, he misjudged the distance and ended up offering the thing his arm. Dean had a moment to cuss himself out before the figure stepped closer and reached for him. 

The shadow gripped Dean’s arm and yanked him forward against his body. Hands like iron bands restrained his upper arms and Dean felt the sickening sensation of flying when the shadow lifted him off his feet and threw the Hunter backwards against a tree. Again, the wind was knocked from Dean’s lungs and this time he couldn’t regain it fast enough before the figure was on him.

The shadow reached down and gripped Dean by the throat, the Hunter instantly clawing at the constricting hand and kicking out at his attackers’ legs in an attempt to get the monster to release him and step away. It didn’t work. The shadows’ grip tightened and Dean’s airway was nearly crushed as the supply of air was cut off, leaving his mind foggy and the edges of his vision rimmed with black. 

Then, the shadow leaned closer to Dean and the distinct sound of someone inhaling close to Dean’s neck rang in the Hunters’ ears. Enough to force him to start struggling again as he envisioned this thing tearing out a chunk of his throat. He couldn’t die here. He couldn’t leave yet. There was too much he had to do. 

He had to take care of Sam, of Bobby and Brutus. He had to be there for you now. He was _not_ going to die here. Dean gathered all the strength he had left in his arm and threw a straight punch into the shadows’ face… At least, Dean hoped it was his face. For all he knew this things’ face resided on its stomach and Dean was just punching a protruding mass of flesh from the body of some weird ass new monster.

The silence that followed the sound of Dean’s fist colliding with the flesh and bone of someone’s cheek was damned near deafening. Dean had a moment to think he had just done the most idiotic thing in the world before he heard a sound. The reedy laugh of the shadow as its head corrected into the appropriate angle to be staring down at Dean. The Hunters’ insides squirmed before suddenly, the grip on his throat eased and he sucked in a lung full of breath so fast he began hacking up a lung.

The shadow laughed again, louder this time, and the hand holding the Hunter against the tree dragged Dean closer so that the meager light of the moon could help the Hunter see the face of this figure. Dean took a moment to catch his breath before even attempting to look at this thing full on. The feeling of dread that it might be the last thing he sees settling darkly in his chest as he thought of you. He wouldn’t even have the chance to bellow a warning for you to run before this thing snapped his neck or worse. 

With one last thought, he sent a prayer to Cas, begging to God as well that the Angel could still hear him, asking for his best friend to come to Mystic Falls to get you out of here as fast as possible. He had no idea where Cas was, but he hoped against all odds that the Angel would hear him, before Dean hardened his resolve and raised his eyes to look at the newly illuminated features of the thing that had attacked him. 

He was a pale man, about mid to late 20’s. His hair was a reddish brown and his eyes a piercing blue that could have rivaled Cas’. The guy had a dark 5 o’clock shadow that seemed unnatural to Dean in the darkness of his hair. The man leaned closer and again took a deep breath close to Dean’s neck. And again the Hunter shifted in the uncomfortable proximity of the monster. 

After a moment, the man pulled back and Dean saw the color of his eyes had changed to amber gold and the skin surrounding the sockets looked like what Damon’s had when his eyes had bled red. The man smiled and Dean felt panic rise in his chest as he saw the huge set of top and bottom fangs like what he had seen on Tyler when the boy had been snarling at him in the room at the Boarding house. 

‘ _Tyler is a Vampire, Werewolf Hybrid._.’ Snippets of what you had told Dean in the crypt wormed its way into Dean’s mind as he stared at the monster in front of him. ‘ _…Original. The most dangerous one… the Original Hybrid, to be exact…_ ’ Dean remembered how you had covered your throat after telling him that. ‘ _They are essentially vampires with a werewolf origin_.’ He had sensed your terror. Holy fuck, was this the thing you had been talking about?

The monster chuckled again as he pulled back and regarded Dean for a moment before it finally spoke. “Well now, you’re a new face around these parts.” The monster had an accent not unlike what Balthazar used to have. Weird… Balthazar’s vessel even kind of looked like the thing in front of him. Could have been his Dad or something. Dean had never asked where the Angel had gotten the body. He hadn’t wanted to know at the time. 

“What might your name be mate?” The monster asked, his fangs receding ever so slightly but his eyes remaining that eerie amber-gold with the wide black pupil in the centers. Out of the corner of Dean’s eye he spotted movement in the shadows of the shrubbery surrounding the clearing the monster had chased him into. A woman who looked to be around her late forties stood there, her face an unimpressed mask while her stance against a large tree made her look bored as she stared at Dean with absolutely no interest. 

Dean took a moment to wonder what the hell she was doing that she would be watching this happen and not be screaming for her life when the Hunter saw the telltale signs of a dark witch as he caught sight of hexbags dangling from her leather strap décor laying over her green satin blouse. 

Her jeans looked ripped with blood smeared at the edges, like she might have scraped herself when she fell somewhere and her brown leather boots were caked in layers of mud, indicating she had been either hiking somewhere really wet, or trekking in a marsh sometime within the past hour. 

This witch was just another problem Dean was going to have to add to the list of things he needed to get you away from, like yesterday. Not for the first time that night, Dean cursed himself for coming to Mystic Falls. When Dean didn’t answer, the smile slipped a bit off the monsters’ face to be replaced by a menacing smirk. “It was customary in my time to introduce yourself when another man asks, gent. Especially when said man keeps the company of someone else’s circle.” Those eyes narrowed and Dean found his airway constricting again. 

Dean didn’t want to punk out but keeping this guy talking seemed to be the only thing that had been keeping him alive so far. If that witch was on this guys’ side then there was no chance Dean would make it away before she cast a spell and either trapped him again, or killed him. If he could buy enough time for himself, maybe he could find an opportunity to attempt an escape. 

Dean swallowed the lump in his throat as well as his pride and took a scant breath to speak with. “My name is Dean Winchester.” Dean hoped that might cause at least a little unease in this monster. He and Sam were famous not just among Hunters but Monsters talked too and word got around. The brothers were nothing to turn your nose up at. 

He hoped that word had reached this thing too and maybe the distraction of glancing around, looking for Sam would be the chance Dean needed to get a head start and call a warning before it caught up and killed the Hunter. 

Shockingly, this thing laughed again and gripped Dean by the shoulder to yank him up more and push him against the tree again, giving him a warning look to stay put as he dropped his hand and took a step back. “Well now, that is interesting.” The smug bastard had the gall to rest one hand on his chin, the elbow laying on top of the other arm that wrapped across his body to hold the opposite side of his torso. 

Dean glared as the man smiled and the eyes receded as well, back to that piercing blue. The witch however seemed to find her interest as she straightened up against the tree and looked at Dean with more focus, almost as if she was mapping something out in her mind. Then, just as quickly as she had shifted into attention, the focus was gone and she was back to leaning heavily on the tree. Though this time, the action seemed a bit more forced. 

While Dean had settled his gaze on her, the monster beside him snickered in an almost childish joking manner. “A very well-known Hunter prowling the cemetery of Mystic Falls.” The man chuckled again. “My, it _does_ seem to be a lucky night for me.” The man turned away and pretended to pick at the dirt under his, what looked to be manicured nails, and Dean’s mind instantly went to work. 

The Hunters’ eyes shifted along the ground as he looked frantically for a weapon. ‘ _To an extent, the movies made by Hollywood closely resemble the supernatural creatures you’d find here_.’ That bit of information gave him pause. In the movies, a vamp could die with a wooden stake to the heart. If a Hybrid was essentially a vampire with a wolf body, would it still work?

Only one way to find out, and Dean spotted a large sharp broken branch laying directly next to the tree he was leaning against. “So Winchester, to what do I owe the visit?” The monster began, not bothering to look up from his examination of his nails. “Don’t tell me you came here… with a girl.” A soft chuckle escaped the creature and he turned his head ever so slightly, not in Dean’s direction, but in the direction the Hunter knew you had taken. 

Dean paused in his movement to get closer to the branch. This wasn’t good. This thing, hybrid, whatever it was, just confirmed Dean’s worst fear. It was hunting _you_. Dean had to distract it, even for a second. ‘ _Keep it talking Winchester. You can't let it find Y/N_.’ Dean swallowed and spoke. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Dean snarled, ignoring the protest made by his bruised throat. “I didn’t come here with anyone else.” Dean put as much vehemence into his voice as he was possibly able to so that he had a chance to sell his lie. By the smirk that appeared on his face after Dean finished, the Hunter knew he’d been caught. The witch shifted against her tree again. Was she listening to this? Really listening? 

“Now what point would there be in lying to me, Dean?” He asked, dropping his hands while going over to another tree, one close to where the woman was, and leaning back against it. “I can smell her scent all over you, mate. It’s not easy to miss.” The man smiled evilly. “And from what I can pick up…” He made a show of sniffing the air. “You two know each other, quite well.” 

The man tilted his head as he studied Dean. “I do wonder, how Damon feels about his precious little girlfriend showing up back in Mystic Falls coated in the stink of another man. A Hunter, no less.” Jealousy gnawed at Dean’s gut at the thought that someone else was pointing out the obvious nature of your old relationship when he caught the wording this thing had used. 

Dean gapped at him before the man shrugged, smile still in place. “As I said, you can try to lie, but your scent can’t. Damon’s rage is clearly written in the smells around you and I can see what happened as though I were there.” He crossed his arms. “Seems young Jeremy even had a swing at you and my darling Caroline and her sorry excuse of a partner weren’t too happy with you either.” This guy had a serious problem pronouncing his ‘er’s’ 

As he thought this, the man pushed away from the tree and took a step closer. Dean’s fight or flight responses were screaming at him in his head and he took another swift glance over the ground at his feet, keeping his eyes away from the limb he planned to use, in case the monster noticed it too. It mustn’t have, because it kept coming closer.

“Now, I’m getting bored Dean, and I came here for a very specific purpose so if you’re not interested in telling me where Y/N Frost is then you’re of no further use to me.” The monsters smile was gone now to be replaced by a serious, hunting mask as he stalked closer to Dean. Gut instinct kicked in and Dean flew to the ground, snatching up the broken branch and turning with it raised just in time to force the sharp end into the chest of the Hybrid descending on him. 

A sick choking sound came from the beasts’ lips and blood dripped from his open mouth to land three little drops right below Dean’s left eye. Dean got a better grip on his weapon, and shoved with all his might upwards, forcing the stick past the ribs and straight into the heart. The man struggled again, kicking out and grazing Dean’ shin but he gritted his teeth against the pain until the monster stopped moving.

The golden light died from the mans’ eyes and the witch hadn’t taken so much as a step in their direction to stop it, though the clouded look in her eyes as she tensed looked more like worry than fear at the sight of her… associate, dead. 

Just when Dean was about to push the body away from himself, the man gripped Dean’s left arm in a crushing hold, snapping the bone in more places than one as the fingers curled around his forearm tightly. Dean had only a moment to say, “Shit.” Before the man reached out with his other hand and gripped the back of Dean’s neck.

“You shouldn’t have done that mate.” The Hybrid growled and suddenly, Dean was yanked up while his head was pushed to the side, exposing his throat. Dean yelled in pain as the two sets of fangs plunged into his neck, allowing the monster to drink deep of the life coursing through Dean’s veins. 

The Hunter sucked in a deep breath, ready to roar in pain before the monsters’ warm porcelain hand slapped down over Dean’s mouth before he had the chance to scream. The man pulled away with a sickening, slurping sound as he leaned up from Dean’s neck. “Keep quiet or I’ll tear your heart out while it’s still beating, Hunter.” The man growled before gripping him hard by the shoulder and hauling the heavier man onto his feet again.

Dean took a moment and sucked in a deep breath before he was spun to be pressed right in front of the monster, subjected to being plastered against the mans front. Dean struggled again but the fingers of the thing behind him dug right into his side as well as his throat. Effectively stopping him from uttering any sound at all. Dean’s right arm was pinned painfully behind his back and the only thing he could think of is that if this thing broke it Dean really would be defenseless. 

The rolling fog was thicker now, but as Dean settled himself enough to breathe evenly, his eyes caught sight of (y/c/h) hair. ‘ _Y/N_!’ Dean thought, his mind going from pain to panic in a single bound. Dean watched, helpless as he saw you check thoroughly through the cemetery from the bushes where the monster had flung him into. 

From where Dean was he could see you gritting your teeth and furrowing your brow. You didn’t look calm at all. The Hunter poise was seeping from your motions with every tweak of your muscles. The fog rolled around you in heavy wisps of smoke and Dean thought he could see an outline around you where the fog was stopping just an inch away from your skin. It had to be the moonlight and the loss of blood playing tricks on his vision. 

Suddenly, Dean saw your eyes narrow in tense suspicion and he saw the war wage on your face as you undoubtedly thought about whether you should go wait back at the crypt or stay and search some more. Dean watched as the look on your face changed rapidly from Hunter poise, to nervousness, to anxiety to straight up terror. Dean wanted to wale for you to run. To turn around and get away from there as fast as you could. 

Dean kicked out, hoping to dislodge the monster currently clamping his hand over his mouth to prevent the Hunter from warning you in any way. Dean’s foot dislodged a rock that went flying into the bush right in front of you and Dean heard you gasp before you shot backwards and began slicing wildly at the air. He saw your foot catch on the edge of a tombstone but before he could hurl a muffled ‘ _LOOK OUT_!’ your way you were already losing your balance. 

“Shit!” Dean heard you curse as your arms swung outwards to protect yourself from the two blades the Hunter could see you were wielding, as the polished metal glinted in the moonlight. The monster moved forward a bit and Dean could see where you had landed hard on your ass, panting hard with your eyes as wide as saucers while they radiated pure terror. 

You looked petrified. Dean had seen you hunt plenty of times. You were brave, fearless to the point of recklessness. The girl shaking on the ground in front of him now, was not that girl. He didn’t recognize the nearly insane look of panic in your eyes as they moved from one place to another. You knew, you had to know what was hunting you. What else could ever force that kind of fear into someone as daring as you?

Suddenly, the man gripping Dean from behind was forcing the Hunter forward through the bushes towards you and Dean was so shocked by what he is seeing to fight against it. He moved forward, and watched as your gaze locked onto the bushes like a deer caught in headlights before you dropped your dagger and started to awkwardly but quickly shuffle backwards, away from the approaching men. 

Dean sees your retreat end when your back hits a tombstone and the resolved look in your eyes that there is nowhere to escape to now finally settles in. Dean watched you raise your Bowie to brandish the large blade along your forearm as he and the monster popped out of the shrubs and came out into the light in front of you. Before the moonlight had the chance to show their faces to you, you doubled over in the dirt and began to writhe back and forth in the dirt. 

Dean’s head swung to the left and he saw the witch still in the cover of the bushes, staring intently at your body and chanting something too low for him to hear. Dean tried to yell for her to stop, to let you go but the hand over his throat tightened again and he had to fight for air for a few moments before it relaxed and the Hunter sucked in a lungful of air. The wound in his neck bleeding profusely from the rough treatment and deprivation of oxygen. 

Nevertheless, as soon as Dean had the air he needed he tried again. “Stop this!” He demanded, his voice scratchy and sore from his abused trachea. “Let her go!” Dean struggled violently, trying to get to you but the man that held him only tightened his grip on his side and Dean felt claws rip into his side as he tried to get away. But he couldn’t stop as he saw you thrash around, not even vocalizing your pain anymore. “ **Y/N**!” 

The only answer Dean got was a wail that rivaled the centuries old agony and pain of any vengeful spirit Dean had ever faced. It was almost like a cross between ringing glass and a wounded animal and it scared the fuck out of Dean. The body behind Dean pushed him forward again and he got a closer look as you puked up yellow bile. 

Dean felt rather than heard the monster holding him say something to the witch and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the woman turn away and break her focus on causing you pain. Dean knew what it must have felt like, considering his experience. It was like having your whole body put into a vice and being squeezed till your bones broke. 

Dean could only stare as you lay there on the ground shivering and softly whimpering. All he wanted was to drop to his knees in the mud beside you and cradle you close. To protect you from the monsters around you. But again, he felt useless. He did the only thing he could think of. He prayed you’d make it.

“Well, well, well.” The man spoke up. “Now what do we have here?” Dean looked down again in time to see you weakly open your eyes, looking first at the ground in front of you before shifting your gaze up. Dean felt the unwanted tears spring into his eyes as he struggled to reach you. 

You only stared back at him through narrowed eyes as your body heaved in the effort to catch your breath. Whatever the witch had done, had left you exhausted. Dean felt the hand around his throat loosen and he felt the press of gentle fingers along the bloody wound of his neck. The Hunter struggled again only to have the hand clench around his throat once more until he stopped moving. 

“Y/N Frost, fancy a chat with an old friend now darling?” The sadistic bastard chuckled and Dean heard you whimper again. Before Dean could say anything about the asshole leaving you alone, the Hunter was thrown to the side like a rag doll. As soon as he landed Dean tried to find his feet again but was quickly subdued under the same witch spell that had caused you to lose your strength. 

Dean cried out in sheer agony, writhing, and groaning in pain that was unmatched in any experience he had ever had in witchcraft. It went on for what felt like hours though Dean knew it had only been moments. Blackness crept up on him and as he fought it just long enough to get a glimpse of that animal yanking your head back to leer at your throat, the Hunter heard you utter one word in a resigned voice.

“Klaus.” And then, everything went black.

*****

“Oh now, that’s a shame.” Klaus smirked from where he leaned over you to stare at Dean’s now limp body. “The poor boy fainted.” He chuckled and looked towards the bushes where he had come out of and called out. “Delilah, darling, wake him up.” You shifted your eyes to the woman who stepped out of the shadows of the brush and instantly you knew she was a witch.

Not a clan witch like Bonnie and her family but a hexer. A witch like what Dean and the others hunted. What was she doing with Klaus? You didn’t get the chance to ponder that more as the woman knelt by Dean and extended her hand to touch his face. Instantly, life renewed in you as you nearly snarled at the witch. “Get the fuck away from him!” You snapped, and the woman stopped her hand before it touched Dean to turn a bewildered look on you.

“How are you even still conscious?” She whispered, her voice aged beyond her looks with a hint of a Mississippi accent. You just tossed your head and flung yourself out of Klaus’ hold, landing close to the puddle of sick you had coughed up earlier. “I said, **Get Away**!” And you dug your fingers into the dirt as the wind whipped wildly around you. Lashing the two attackers with currents of freezing air. 

Suddenly, you were yanked back to lay against Klaus’ side, which made your fingers that had gotten stuck in the ground wrench painfully as it pulled out hard earth and leaf debris. Tears pricked your eyes and not for the first time that night, you cursed having a tangible body. You were not the Hunter but the hunted. Even attempting to protect Dean at this moment was pointless. Pathetic. Laughable.

“Now, now, stop your fussing love.” Klaus said with a snarky tone as he looked down on you. “There had been a time where you would have loved this.” He said with a smirk and leaned down to place a kiss on the artery in your neck. You writhed in his hold and feebly tried to shove at him before he reached up and gripped your throat in a bruising hold. 

Klaus’ eyes darkened considerably as he glared down at you. “It took quite a long time for you to come back where I could find you darling.” The monster said, and you winced in pain as the hand tightened its hold ever so slightly. “Do us both a favor, and stop struggling.” You felt the tears slip down as his fingers dug into the soft muscles in your throat. 

Klaus waited for a moment, searching your eyes for protest before he turned back to the witch again, and ordered her once more to “Wake him up!”. You moved your eyes to the side and watched as the witch snapped out of her focus on you and turned back to Dean, pressing the palm of her hand against the side of his face for a moment before the Hunter gasped loudly and his body shook as he emerged into wakefulness. 

“Dean.” The name was out of your mouth before you could stop it and the Hunter immediately swung his head to look at you, his eyes wild and fearful as he saw who was holding you. You saw when he tried to lunge forward, only to be stopped by the phantom pain again as his face crumpled in a mask of agony and frustration. 

“You might want to stop trying to get out of my spell, boy.” The woman, Delilah, spoke as she stared at Dean intently before flicking her gaze to you, her eyes shining from the copper flecks in her dark blue irises. Her curly ebony hair falling flawlessly to frame her unblemished caramel skin. “The more you struggle, the tighter my magic will coil around you.” It was more of a word of caution, not at all as if she were gloating. 

You were suddenly pulled into a rough embrace from behind and Klaus began to stroke a lock of your hair as he asked, “My he is a rambunctious one, isn’t he? Where did you meet your little friend Y/N?” You wrenched your gaze away from Dean’s to stare at Klaus with wide eyes. “Please Klaus, let him go.” You pleaded. “He isn’t involved in this, you can do whatever you want to me just let him go!” A tear fell from your eye as you begged for Dean’s life. 

“No, Y/N…” Dean was cut off by an agonized groan as the magic tightened its hold on him. You didn’t dare look away from Klaus. After a moment, the hand on your hair moved to wrap around your throat and it was such a shock that you panicked and began to claw at the hand constricting your airway as you fought for breath. “ **Stop**!” Dean exclaimed and your eyes rolled into the back of your head. “Please, just… stop hurting her. Please.” 

Overwhelming emotions enveloped you as you allowed his words to sink in. Dean was now the one begging for _your_ life. There were tears in his voice as you heard the soft sob float over the current of haziness in your head. Suddenly, the hand holding your throat was gone and you sucked in air the way a fish would water. Klaus reached down and moved a stray hair out of your face.

“So that is where you scampered off to so quickly after that little incident at the bar.” He chuckled and you just felt sick, trying to force your body to move but nothing obeyed. “Went back to hunting right after you left darling? Couldn’t keep that ‘Solemn Promise’ to Damon after all, could you?” You were completely, horribly pliant as he tipped your head back and to the side to expose the jumping vein in your throat.

“The bar?” You thought back to the night you had left Mystic Falls. That night, a bar brawl broke out while you were on the clock and you had to step in to stop three burly men from ruining the Grill. You had been attacked outside after work while taking out the trash and that had been when you realized the men had all been hunters. Men who had frequently ran with Joseph and Patrick. And suddenly, what he said clicked.

“You were the one who brought Hunters here!” The shock caused your voice to ring out but even as you tried to push away from him again, you couldn’t. It almost felt as if you had been drugged. Your movements were sloppy so it was easy for Klaus to pin you down. More tears slipped down your face and a mask of pure fury hardened your features. 

Klaus’ grin widened. “Of course it was me, sweetheart. How else would I have been able to get you to awaken those little hidden traits in your blood?” He boasted as if it was the greatest accomplishment he’d ever made. 

“A Nymph is only a Nymph when they spill innocent blood.” He quoted, as if that bit was part of some holy scripture when to become that in your culture meant death as punishment for the crime. Your father had drilled that lesson into yours and your siblings’ minds every day since the moment you could grasp speech. And yet only now, did you realize what you had been made to do.

“And by what I gather from all those groups of your Hunter friends that never reported back to me, I’d say you’ve spilled quite a bit of blood over the years.” His fangs elongated and his eyes sharpened to their Hybrid state as he chuckled lowly. You were frozen. The world crashing down around you as you understood what you had been doing. The Hunters that had attacked you back then, the ones that had attacked you recently… they hadn’t been at fault. 

They hadn’t tried to kill you of their own volition. They had been compelled. Klaus was admitting that he had made you spill the blood of your friends. He had forced you to become the thing that haunted the Elders council of your people. You had spilled the blood of friends and fellow Hunters. Innocent blood.

Now everything that had been happening to you was making sense. The seal over your wings had started showing through the warding you had paid a witch good money to place. You were starting to get scared that Dean would see it and wonder where the hell it came from. The ache in your shoulder blades where the extremities battered against their confinement was a constant reminder that you would need to replace the wards. 

The way Castiel’s eyes could focus on you as if he could see you then quickly look away as if he fought down the feeling that what he was seeing was true. You had been recovering from injury quicker than usual and your strength had slowly been returning to the state it had been before your banishment. And even in human form your body had started to push for you to fight the way you had been taught as a child, and not as a Hunter. 

One final tear slipped from the corner of your eye as you accepted what was. You had spilled innocent blood, and now you were a tainted Nymph.

Fear. Panic. Disgust. Rage. Pain.

These five things had never been a stranger to you, ever since the moment you left home. ‘ _Home_.’ Mystic Falls had been home once. A safe place. Now instead, it is the place where you had gotten into a car crash, a fight with Damon and Elena, Dean has been arguing with you nonstop, and now Klaus has found you and just exposed your closest guarded secret your Hunter boyfriend. 

You gathered enough courage to turn and look at the man on the ground a few feet away. Dean was bleeding from one corner of his mouth, though you doubted he noticed, given the look of pure shock and bewilderment etched on his face. The witch still had a hand on his shoulder, as if urging him to stay in one place so as not to agitate the constricting magic. Though her eyes spoke volumes of wonderment as her gaze flicked slightly from you to Dean and back. 

You had no clue what Klaus had on this witch but you gathered it had to be something huge for someone so powerful to bend the knee to this monster. You felt sick. Worst of all you felt weak. Every Hunters instinct inside of you was writhing in the need to get up. To move. To fight back. But nearly all of your motor skills had shut down already. You couldn’t feel your legs and even your breathing had become labored as your hands unclenched from Klaus’ arms around your stomach.

It had to be the witch’s’ doing. Whatever that spell had been, it had effectively numbed your body. You inwardly smirked. ‘ _At least now it made sense why she had been so shocked that either Dean or I could still be awake and moving_.’ “What do you… want, with me Klaus?” You asked. There was no room for pretense anymore. Everyone here could tell you weren’t strong enough to fight anymore.

Klaus pulled you closer and hauled you up in his arms so that he could stand with you pressed against him. “What I have always wanted from you Y/N.” He said, his fangs gleaming menacingly in the moonlight as his smile fell away and his eyes darkened to their amber hue. 

“Your blood.” From the corner of your eye you saw the witch get up and produce a large mason jar from a deep pocket in the sash that she wore. You didn’t even have the strength to panic as she stepped closer, ignoring Dean’s frantic command to stay away as Klaus brushed your hair back from your neck.

“I must say I have missed this darling.” Klaus confessed as you felt the scrape of his claws against the pulse point in your jugular. “Any last words before I silence that pretty voice of yours for good?” The witch opened the lid of the jar and waited. You stared at the container as you answered, your voice strong despite your fear. As you finished, he struck, sinking both sets of large fangs into the soft skin, and pain exploded in your neck as your scream chased the echoes of your words. 

‘ _See you in hell_.’ 

*****

*Damon*

Damon just couldn’t shake this dark feeling in his gut that something was wrong. It had to be, he just knew it. He never should have just let you leave like that. Especially not with that Hunter. Damon didn’t know him well enough to believe that the guy wouldn’t try to get physical if you both got into an argument out on the road. And the Vampire sure as shit wasn’t going to risk him putting his hands on you if and when he found out what you really were. 

Hell, it had been hard enough for **Damon** to believe that you were a Sky Nymph and he was a fucking _Vampire_ for Christ’s sake! ‘ _But this guy_ ’, Damon thought with a frustrated snarl. There was something about him that Damon just _knew_ was going to end up hurting you. And Damon would be damned twice over if he was going to let **anyone** hurt you. Current _Hunter_ boyfriends included. 

The ring of the old grandfather clock announcing the arrival of 3:00 am startled Damon out of his dark musings and he halted his pacing in front of the fireplace. Another frustrated hiss escaped the vampire as he glared into the glowing embers. Everyone was gone now. After the fiasco upstairs, Tyler and Caroline promptly left. Bonnie and little Gilbert having already taken off to chase after Elena, who ran off to God knows where. Matt immediately made up some excuse about needing to get ready for work in the morning.

Damon was used to it by now. No one _chose_ to be around him any longer than necessary. This was the first night in years where people had actually been around him socially and not to devise some plan for taking down an enemy. It had been you. Your presence had made Damon easier to be around. And now that you were gone, and Elena had left, everyone else knew, it was time to get the fuck out. 

Damon ran a hand through his hair and tugged it one time hard before he made his decision. He whirled around, snatched his jacket from the arm of the couch and stalked to the hallway that lead towards the front door. His keys jingling in his jacket pocket as he donned the supple black leather over his gray cotton shirt. He had to go find you. It wasn’t safe to just be wandering around at night no matter who you were.

Sure, they’d gotten rid of Klaus, but that didn’t mean that walking in the dark in **any** town, was safe. He yanked open the front door and made it two steps before he almost collided with someone. Damon almost apologized before he remembered this was his house, and no one was supposed to be here. Damon’s head snapped up, fangs bared and eyes flashing before he realized who it was and stood up straight.

“Hello brother.” Stefan said, his hands raised in front of himself in a gesture saying he meant no harm. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?” He asked, letting his hands drop to his sides. Mixed emotions flooded through Damon at seeing his little brother again after so many months of just getting a postcard here and there. Happy to see him. Thrilled to know he came home. Overjoyed he was safe and speaking to him. But mostly, Damon was in a hurry.

“I need to go find Y/N.” He supplied quickly and squeezed out of the house and locked the door behind himself. Stefan followed his older brother all the way to the car where Damon opened the drivers’ side and proceeded to slide into the seat before Stefan grabbed a handful of his jacket and stopped him from closing the door. “Damon wait a sec, what do you mean ‘ _You have to find Y/N_ ’?” Stefan asked incredulously. 

“Jeremy sent me a text earlier today saying to come back home, and Caroline texted me about an hour later saying that Y/N was back.” Stefan let go of Damon’s jacket but stayed in the way of the car door so that the older Salvatore couldn’t close it. “That’s why I came back.” Damon paused in his planning to shove Stefan out of the way and looked up at him through narrowed eyes.

Damon got it. Stefan was hoping that if there was anyone that could convince Elena to go through with the plan to turn her back into a human it would be you. Elena would listen to you, as long as Stefan talked to you first and somehow got you to understand that the risk justified the rewards if they succeeded in that harebrained plan of his. Though little did Stefan know, that wasn’t really an option at this point after the catastrophe that just happened. 

But Stefan didn’t have to know that. Stefan just had to get the fuck out of the way. “Y/N…” Damon began, then paused. Debating how much he should really tell the young vampire. “She…” Fuck it. “She found out about me and Elena.” Stefan’s eyes instantly lit up in slight anger and anguish along with an old sadness before it was replaced by exasperation. 

“And how exactly did she handle that bit of information?” The bastard was being smug, Damon realized. Damon knew he fucked up. It wasn’t like he didn’t regret hurting his brother, dammit! Damon shook his head before hanging it low. “We talked about it… kind of…. I begged her to forgive me. Then I…” Damon trailed off as he recalled what happened next. He had been so close to getting you back, but the guilt had overpowered your desire for Damon. 

Damon looked back up at his brother when he shifted, prompting an answer. Damon sighed as he continued. “I kissed her.” Damon clenched his teeth as he thought about how you had shoved him away and then when that damned Hunter walked in and drew a gun on the Vampire. Stefan though, seemed to look lost. 

“Uh, am I missing something here?” Stefan shifted his stance to lean his weight against the forearm currently pressed against the drivers’ side door. “If she let you kiss her then that means she forgave you, doesn’t it?” And that obviously wasn’t what Stefan had been hoping for but Damon decided not to comment on it. “Isn’t that a good thing?” He asked, his left eyebrow quirking up in a silent question.

“I mean, I remember how bad you got after she left brother.” Stefan continued, finding a bit of sympathy for his older brother as he recalled the year where Damon had come back home after looking for you and had shut off his humanity. 

He had drank heavily, both blood and alcohol. Losing you had made him hurt so much that he flipped the switch to stop the pain. He became a Ripper, that couldn’t feel remorse. Elena had been the only one to think she could stop him. 

“And you still don’t look happy. Why is connecting with her again such a bad thing? You should be jumping for joy and she should be here with…” “She didn’t come to Mystic Falls alone, Stefan.” Damon bit out through clenched teeth. The horrible feeling in his chest was getting stronger and Damon was two seconds away from literally Spartan kicking his little brother out of the way so that he could go find you. 

“And had it been up to her, she wouldn’t have come back at all.” Damon jammed the key into the ignition, signaling that he was done talking. He had seriously debating looking for you over that but soon pushed the feeling aside. Whether you had wanted to be here or not, you were here now. And Damon couldn’t bring himself to resent you for it. Stefan shifted out of the way of the car door, no longer blocking it from closing but he didn’t let go of the door as he asked, “What do you mean?” With narrowed eyes. 

Damon reached for the door handle and unlocked the passenger side before yanking the drivers’ side out of his brothers’ grip and slamming his door with purpose. He looked back up at his little brother and nodded his head to the other seat. “I’ll tell you on the way.” Stefan regarded his brother for a moment before relenting and running to the other side of the vehicle and getting in.

Damon threw the car in gear and hightailed it out of the driveway and down the road, explaining everything he could to Stefan to the best of his ability while trying to keep at least partial focus on the road ahead. When he was finished, Stefan turned in his seat to stare at Damon in calculated skepticism. Damon tried to ignore it, wouldn’t be the first time his brother looked at him like that. 

“So wait, what you’re saying is that it was a hit and run?” Stefan speculated. “There is no possible way that the driver would have just been able to get out of the cab and walk away from a collision like that. Let alone get away from the scene on foot. Liz would have found them.” Stefan’s brow was furrowed as Damon’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. 

Rage still burned in Damon’s veins over the fact that someone had nearly killed you in that crash and they just walked away. Liz tried running the plates and registration, even ran forensics on the blood she had found in the cab. She came up with zilch. Whoever had been driving the truck, had gotten away scot free. But something about the whole thing didn’t make sense. 

Liz had told him on the phone that she hadn’t seen any skid marks where the semi had been driving down the dead man's curve. No indication that the driver had even _tried_ to stop or turn the truck away from your car. It was almost like the driver had purposefully allowed his vehicle to collide with yours but what sane human being would do something like that? They’d risk their life too. 

Still though. Something about this didn’t sit right with the older Salvatore. Just what the hell was going on? Damon tried to breathe through the rising panic he was starting to feel. He had to find you. “Liz would have swept the entire area within twenty miles the exact time she found out that it was Y/N that had been hit.” Stefan continued, the younger Salvatore was starting to get as riled up as Damon had been when he first heard the news. 

“This isn’t right, something isn’t adding up Damon.” Damon didn’t say anything. His brother was right. Damon had had his suspicions as well. Whoever had hit you and your Hunter, had done it on purpose. They had **meant** to bring you back to Mystic Falls. Question was, for what?

Damon stomped on the gas pedal and drove straight for the cemetery. As they drove in silence, Damon could feel Stefan’s attention on the fact that someone was gunning for you slip his mind and promptly began to prod at his brother. “It seems like you royally fucked up with both Elena _and_ Y/N, huh?” Stefan stared at Damon defiantly when the older brother shot him a venomous glare. 

“What the hell were you thinking Damon?” Stefan bared his teeth in a sneer of exasperation as he shook his head. “You told me that Y/N left because she wanted the other Hunter’s to follow her out of town and away from the rest of us. She was trying to save us Damon. But it’s been five whole years, about to be six. It’s not a shock that she would move on in that time.” Stefan scoffed. “Who are you to hold that against her?” 

Damon was about two seconds away from smashing his brothers face into the dashboard. He kept his eyes on the road but choked back his response. They were almost there. Just around the bend. “I don’t want to hear that shit Stefan, especially not from you.” The older brother snarled. 

“You hated me because you thought the that the sire bond was the only thing tying Elena to me after she died and when you found out there was a cure for Vampirism you would have torn the world apart to find it for her. So that she wouldn’t feel like that anymore.”

Damon knew it was a low blow, bringing that up. But Stefan needed to stop poking at your relationship with Damon. It was different from what the older brother had had with Elena. “When she destroyed the chance you had to make her human again, you were the one that took it as a rejection when all she was doing was trying to keep us from raising another problem that we would have had a shoddy chance of fixing.” Damon turned the corner and entered the cemetery, making his way to the last road in the back before parking and getting out of the car.

Stefan got out of the vehicle and followed his brother as Damon began walking towards the direction of the old tomb, his eyes wide from the verbal slap. “That’s what I felt when Y/N left. Yes, she was trying to save us, but I still felt betrayed.” Damon’s voice almost broke that time. It still hurt, but it was getting better the more he got close to you. He still loved you.

They were close to the tomb. Just a little farther. “But I can’t help how I feel. Even with her coming to town with someone else, she was mine first. That kid doesn’t know anything about her. About this place. About her _life_ here.” Damon knew he was being irrational. You’d hit him enough times in the past when he started treating your relationship like a prize he had won. But he couldn’t help but think something was off about the way you acted around Dean. 

It had to be because the Hunter didn’t know who or what you were. At least not yet. And if the guy had a problem with it… would you be willing to defend yourself against an angry Hunter Damon could see you were falling for? Damon shook his head as they reached the tomb’s door. “That Hunter she’s with is only going to get her… killed.” Damon trailed off as he realized the heavy door was cracked open, but no signs of life lay inside. 

“What the hell?” Damon murmured. The vampire could smell that both you and Dean had been inside not too long ago. Stefan walked up and pushed the door completely open, turning his head from side to side in search of anyone, before frowning when finding nothing. “Where are they?” The younger Salvatore asked, suspicion lacing his question. “I don’t know.” Damon admitted before turning to look behind him towards the darker portion of the cemetery grounds. 

Damon narrowed his gaze at the prowling shadows as he began to move towards them. ‘ _Where are you Y/N_?’ The vampire wondered as he waded through the snapping winds that kicked up dirt that stung his eyes. “What the hell is going on?” Stefan griped as he followed his brother. Damon didn’t answer, just continued to move forward. After another moment, the winds began to calm until suddenly, they stopped. 

The feeling of dread rested eerily in Damon’s gut like a heavy stone. What the actual fuck was going on? Just when Damon was about to turn to his brother to tell him to stay on guard, he smelled it. That scent. Impossible to forget. How he’d yearned for it. How he craved it all those night’s he had tried to quench his thirst. How he longed for it to be yours when he had fed from strangers and occasionally Elena. 

It had him pushing his speed faster than he had ever tried to run before. Damon hardly noticed his brother running at his heels. The younger Salvatore reacting to his siblings’ distress through action rather than frantic questions. At that moment, Damon couldn’t have been more grateful for the fact that Stefan had come home when he did, because the next scent he caught on the wind had the Vampire seeing red as he rushed forward in a rage.

“No.” Damon’s voice was distorted from both the exertion of running and the gripping fear rising within him. As he closed in on the origin of the sweet scent of your blood, Damon’s only thoughts consisted of whether he would find a corpse rather than the woman he loved. 

‘ _Oh God, please no_!’

*****

*Dean* 

Dean felt utterly broken as he watched the monster drain you of blood. When it had stopped pumping strongly out of your open vein then he had proceeded to suckle at your throat to coax the blood into flowing again. You had already lost consciousness. Dean’s only comfort now was in knowing that if he killed you, it wouldn’t be painful at all. It would just feel like you were asleep. A very deep sleep.

That’s how Dean had felt when the Djinn had forced him to live a dream while it had slowly fed on the Hunters blood. He would have died in his sleep, utterly painless. But as Dean watched your limp form being manhandled by the monster gripping your chest and waist, he just couldn’t see the appeal in it. The Hunter tried once more with the remaining reserves of strength he had left to get to his feet and rip you away from your attacker.

But just like before, once he got his arms beneath him and began to push up, the witch’s spell tightened its grip and dragged him back down into the dirt, panting and exhausted, Dean laid there. Watching, as his happiness was once again ripped away from him in one fell swoop. Dean could feel the tears fall from his eyes and wet his cheeks, cutting gentle trails through the dirt and grime caked onto his face as he cursed … Klaus… for being born.

That made the psychopath raise his head from your neck and laugh before grinning directly at Dean. His lips stained red with your blood and some dripping down in small streaks from the corners of his mouth to fall from the point of his chin into the dirt. “You wouldn’t be the first to curse me, Hunter.” The man smirked evilly as he regarded Dean. “And I bet you won’t be the last either.” As he spoke, the witch eased back, pulling the jar away from the no longer flowing puncture wounds on your neck. 

The amount of blood filling the jar automatically had a wail catching in Dean’s throat. Without a transfusion, you’d die from blood loss. Even from where he lay on the ground, the Hunter could see that the color of your skin had paled exponentially and your chest wasn’t rising visibly with each breath you took. Without a miracle, Dean was going to watch you die. 

“I think I have all that I need.” The witch said, her voice dull and bored, completely detached from the fact that she was holding a mason jar full of someone else’s blood. “Taking anymore will kill her.” Dean sneered at the woman. Like she would fucking care if you died. Klaus seemed to wonder about that too, since the monster shifted your body to lay in one arm heavily as his other hand trailed his fingers through the sluggishly flowing blood along your neck. 

Klaus continued dipping his fingers through the plasma and drawing little swirls all along your collarbone with it before lifting the digits to his mouth and kitten licking the blood from his skin in delight. “What does it matter if she dies?” The freak asked, putting his hand back to your throat so that he could lean in and lick at the blood there. “I came here with that intent anyway. Take the rest so that the spell can be completed with an abundance of Dark Nymph blood.”

Klaus smirked as one clawed finger scratched against the puncture wounds on your neck and cause the wound to open further, blood seeping out once again and all the while you did not stir. But the witch shook her head. “You need to keep her alive in case this spell has a trick to it the way your Hybridism did. Killing Elena would have kept you from making more Hybrids, even though it _did_ turn you. If by some chance the first batch I make is faulty, we’ll need more.” The witch said coldly with an unflinching glare at the Hybrid man in front of her. 

“The girl lives.” She said again, sterner this time and the Hybrid sighed. “You witches are annoying.” He said and his grip on you loosened until you fell like a stone to the ground. The witch capped the mason jar and put it back in the deep pocket of her sash before addressing Klaus again. “We have to leave. The other two are here.” She said nonchalantly, almost bored by the prospect that others were coming. Klaus only smiled again. “Ah, I was wondering how long it would take for him to show.”

Klaus glanced down at your still form and nudged you with his foot as Dean fought the binding spell still locking his limbs. “Congrats love, you managed to get your whole gang back together again. Thank you for that.” Just as the man made to walk towards the shadows with the witch, thunderous crashing echoed from the other direction and suddenly, two dark figures jumped out of the undergrowth. Dean’s heart made a leap as he had never been so happy to see an enemy before.

Damon stood there, fangs bared with a wild glint in his eyes with another man equally as enraged stooped down to gather your body in his arms and place your limp form against a thick tree trunk before going to stand at the dark-haired Salvatore’s side. The look that crossed both Damon’s and his companions’ gazes made Dean happy to know it wasn’t directed at him. Damon looked more than ready to kill. He looked ready to slaughter.

“Hello Damon,” Klaus smirked, not phased in the slightest by the newcomers’ arrival. “Hello Stefan. Fancy seeing you both together. I was sure it would never happen again.” He chuckled. Damon took a step forward, every angle in his body conveying his intent to kill as the other man, ‘Stefan’, matched his steps. “What have you done Klaus?” Stefan growled through clenched teeth, his eyes darting in Dean’s direction for a moment before he moved closer to the Hunter, putting his body between the insane Hybrid and the human.

“I needed a little blood from your friend that she was gracious enough to give.” The sadistic monster waved away the question with a lazy hand gesture. “Nothing of import, mate.” And at that, Damon lunged. “I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch!” The man snarled and Klaus ducked backwards out of the Vampires reach before he could be grabbed. Stefan stayed where he was, casting worried glances behind him and at you. 

“Now, now Damon. Is that really the best choice for you right now?” Klaus moved and gripped the witches arm in his clawed hand. “You can either fight me, or save your little girlfriend before she loses too much blood to replace. Up to you.” Klaus turned and made to sprint but Damon flew at the pair faster than Dean’s eyes could trace. But before he could land his mark, the witch flicked her hand behind her and Damon fell heavily to the ground, clutching his head and shouting in pain. 

“Don’t be so impatient.” Klaus teased and walked a few paces forward. “We’ll see each other again soon enough. I’m here to stay!” And then, the pair were gone. Damon got up and glowered furiously at the darkness where they had been and Dean, finally able to move, began to crawl his way towards you. “Y/N.” He whispered, reaching forward, only for his body to wrench hard and cause him to cough up a good amount of blood. Every bone in his body felt shattered and he was sure that the majority of them were. 

Dean couldn’t move anymore. Not on his own, but he refused to take his eyes off of you. “Damon…” Dean called weakly and that seemed to snap the vampire out of his murderous daze as he turned to look at the Hunter. Dean gathered his strength and pointed towards you. “Save her.” It was all he could say, but thankfully, it was enough. 

“Y/N.” Damon’s broken voice as he said your name made Dean both angry and grateful. And again, Dean wished he’d never brought you here. Damon rushed over and pulled you gently into his arms, wasting no time as he bit deep into his wrist and forced the blood to flow heavily before pushing the wound to your mouth. “C’mon Y/N, open your eyes baby.” At this moment, Dean couldn’t find it in him to be angry that Damon was using endearments. So long as he saved you, Dean couldn’t care less. 

The other man, Stefan, put a gentle hand on Dean’s shoulder and slowly turned him on his back raising his already bloody wrist in a silent question. After a moment, Dean nodded and Stefan lowered his wrist in front of him, making it his choice rather than forcing it upon him. The Hunter leaned forward and latched onto the wound, immediately feeling his body healing as the first pull of blood slid over his tongue. 

Dean looked on as his body healed, thinking how a whole different world of the supernatural could have existed without his knowledge for so long. Even the girl he was falling for. The girl currently latched onto the bleeding wrist of her vampire ex-boyfriend, had kept a secret from him. He’d never seen a Nymph before but damn had he wanted to. He’d read plenty of lore about them. But now, he really wished he’d paid attention to Sam when he said to be careful what you wished for. 

God he wished Sam was here. He wished his brother and Bobby were here. He could solve any crisis with those two at his back. But they wouldn’t be there until tomorrow. Dean was on his own until then. He pushed Stefan’s wrist away, the movement without malice, and just continued to slowly spiral downwards as he kept his eyes on you and Damon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok just to clarify my twisted thought process, so for the reference to Balthazars vessel, everyone knows that Sebastian Roche plays Micheal, the Original families Patriarch. We know Micheal died from the White Oak Stake but remember when Anna's vessel was destroyed when she got her grace back and later she explains to Castiel that she called in a few favors to get the body back? My thoughts were kind of along that line that Balthazar got the body recreated for him to use afterwards, since Micheal had been born human first. But anyways, any thoughts, Questions, comments, here? :p


	22. Please, Share With The Group

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Posts update quickly then logs out to avoid explaining why its been so long* lol

*Dreaming*

 _The cool breeze crashing against the mountainside forced you to battle to keep your balance. Today was the start of your training not as a child but as a Recruit. A Sky Nymph coming of age to enlist in the Nimbus Guard. Your father would be your teacher over the duration of this stage to your adulthood, as your mother had before him. Today was also your birthday. Yours, and your twins’_. 

“Elias, straighten your back. Brace yourself against the wind currents. Y/N do not dig your fingers into your brothers’ shoulders, it will distract him and you will be too tense to make a transition.” _Your father had woken you both when the sun in this realm had just begun to peak over the snow-covered mountain. It made for a beautiful view as you trained. If only your father had allowed you to see it_.

 _The blindfold over your eyes irritated your senses and made you weary. You had never trained without your sight before. It was unnerving. But you trusted your twin, and you trusted your father not to allow you both to be harmed. You took a deep breath, and released it, slowly relaxing your grip on your brothers’ shoulders as you adjusted the handstand position you were currently in_. 

“You are both the future of the Hunter bloodline. You will both fight, when your time comes, in the never-ending war between the mortals and monsters. You will be the first line of attack and the last line of defense. You, my children, will be the protectors of the realm.” _Your fathers voice boomed in the air surrounding you. The blindfold over your eyes forcing you to focus on sound rather than sight to pinpoint his location_. ‘ _ **On our left, eleven o’ clock**_.’ _You whispered in your head_.

 _A gentle nudge against your mind was the only indication that your brother had heard you. Elias was also blindfolded and currently keeping his balance on one leg on a round stone set on the peak of the mountain you hovered over. Your father was currently trying to train you both in getting your minds used to adaptability. Breaking your conscious minds focus into multiple sections so that you may quickly adapt to any situation. In this particular situation, you had to adjust to your partners’ position periodically in order to stay balanced in the shifting winds, as well as keep track of your father through sound alone_.

“You both will be the legacy of the Sky Guard. The fact that you both were born, not only as twins but as Gemini, means you are unique to your line. No other pair of siblings may boast such power.” _The direction of his voice changed_. ‘ _ **Behind us. Five o’ clock**_.’ _Your brother informed and you nudged his mind back_.

‘ _ **Oh wonderful**_.’ _You thought to yourself with a slight roll of the eyes beneath the blindfold as you locked your body into the perfect balancing position to hold your stance_. ‘ _ **The sun has barely risen and Father is already beginning his lectures. How perfectly dull this morning is turning out to be**_.’ _The snicker in your head floated in your mind like a wisp of smoke before the wind carries it away_. 

‘ _ **Oh come now Y/N,**_ ’ _The voice of your twin brother chided playfully back. He adjusted his position beneath you so that the pressure of your hands on his shoulders would distribute evenly_. ‘ _ **You know the old man will be in a tiresome mood in the evening if he does not begin the day with a recollection of our lessons. Mother will be much the same now that we have started as Recruits**_.’ _You felt Elias’ arm shift beneath your right hand and tried to relax your muscles again_.

 _Elias reached up towards you, forcing you to try and sense where his hand was. Directly in front, level with the second vertebra in your neck, two inches to the right. You tensed as you propelled your body upwards, spinning once to level your weight, and landed with your right foot in his palm before quickly finding your balance again. Perfect_.

‘ _ **And I for one, prefer his incessant drawling over that preposterous excuse for combat he forced our elders to endure in the lake**_.’ _You could feel the haughty laughter from your brother through the connection you had from his hand under your foot. You smirked and shook your head slightly as he sent the image of your older siblings training with your father in aquatic combat at the lake. You sighed_. 

‘ _ **You realize he will train you and I in aquatic combat as well, do you not? It is required that we learn how to attack and defend against all enemies, not only vampires and Fey, and whatever else may walk on solid land**_.’ _You heard Elias grunt as his arm shook from the weight of you. After another moment, he controlled it and you both balanced perfectly once again_. ‘ _ **I plan to make an appeal along those lines, sister**_.’ _He said confidently_.

‘ _ **If we are all one in our mission then why not play to our strengths? The Water Nymphs’ should handle any and all aquatic enemies, while we carry out our duty and handle those in the sky. And of course the Earth Nymphs can fight those restricted to ground. We can all help in that aspect, no**_?’ _A gentle hiss of amusement escaped through your nose as you inwardly grinned_. ‘ _ **Touché my brother, touché**_.’ “Y/N, Elias! Are you listening to _me_ or each other more!?” 

_Your fathers voice caused you both to lose focus and your brother cursed below you as he slipped from his perch atop the sharp peak of the mountain. You yelped as he fell forward, taking you over the side of the mountain and flinging you from the sheer force of momentum behind his fall. The world fell away and a scream trapped in your throat as the sickening feeling of falling attacked your stomach. Just before you opened your airway to let loose the scream, you felt a pair of powerful arms around you_.

 _They stopped your fall and held you against a broad chest with a heart beating beneath it, slow and steady. The blindfold was ripped away from your eyes and you realized you were shaking as you stared up into your fathers’ pale amethyst eyes. His frost colored hair flowing gently around his face like a curtain of wispy fog tendrils. Instantly your heart settled as safety radiated from the powerful Sky Guardian_. 

_The slightest smile tugged at his lips as he looked down at you with a softness rarely seen in those light purple eyes_. “You both should know better by now, to pay attention, little Y/N…. Y/N…. Y/N.” _Normally when he teased you, you’d return the smile. But something wasn’t right. Why did it sound like his voice echoed? Like, he was calling your name, rather than saying it? As you thought this, the world began to waver and melt away, leaving you free falling in an endless void of clutching shadows_.

*****  
*Damon

“Y/N? Y/N, baby, please wake up. Open your eyes for me Y/N, Please.” Damon begged your still form, unmoving in his arms, to show some kind of life. To allow the limp limbs that grew ever colder in his embrace to flush with color again and reassure him that he had not been too late. Damon’s chest constricted at the alternative thought that he _had_ been. He just couldn’t believe that.

Damon began rubbing your arms and midsection vigorously in an attempt that even friction from cold hands will somehow be enough to restore the warmth in your once rosy cheeks. He pushed the cooling leather jacket aside as he tried to work heat into your skin and instantly a flash of irritated realization hit that this was the jacket Dean had been wearing when he left the Boarding House with you a few hours ago. Damon had to bite down of his tongue to keep from spitting a bit of venom at the Hunter. The rusty tang of his own blood helped to stave off the worse of the jealousy. At least for now. 

Throughout this time, Dean’s gaze had not gone unnoticed by the older Salvatore. Dean was staring at Damon in a way the vampire hadn’t felt in a very long time and certainly not by someone so young. But he hardly had the time to question the Hunter on what could possibly make him look so contemplative and disgruntled all at once. Damon’s first priority had to be you. 

You were covered in dirt, mud and bile. Blood stained your clothes and clotted in your hair. Four holes were torn into the soft grey material of the t-shirt you had gotten from the duffel bag Liz had given you. The front of it too, caked in putrid smelling mud and blood. And all the while, all Damon could think about was how wrong it was for someone so strong to be seen as so vulnerable.

“What’s going on Damon?” Stefan’s voice floated to the older Salvatore with a tone of bewilderment that made the vampire look up at him. Stefan looked paler than usual. His long lashes casting dark circles beneath his eyes in the moonlight, making the man look exhausted and even, as Damon began to focus on his brother better, slightly haunted. 

“Why is Klaus back? I thought he said he was leaving after Elena…” “I don’t know Stefan, why does that Hybrid psychopath do anything?” Damon snapped, feeling irritable on top of being anxious as he returned his gaze to you. Why was it taking so long? He had felt you latch on and draw in the blood, why weren’t you waking up? “What I want to know is how did he know that Y/N was back in town? Why go after her?”

With that, the Hunter seemed to finally have found his voice as he spoke up, making the vampires turn their gazes to him. “That thing, Klaus, he told Y/N that he was the reason she left here after the night at the bar. Said _he_ was the one that brought Hunters here?” Dean focused his cool gaze on the man currently holding a healing wrist to your open mouth. “I’m guessing you know what night he was talking about?” Damon said nothing as he returned the Hunters’ stare but nodded.

“I remember. That’s the night she … left Mystic Falls.” Damon confessed, skirting the painful truth just a tad. “What else did he say, Dean?” Damon asked and he immediately saw the mans’ eyes narrow slightly. Damon realized that was the first time he had called Dean by his name rather than by a petty insult. Dean though seemed to rethink calling him out on it as he continued. Damon raised his wrist and bit down again to reopen the wound before pressing it to your lips once more.

“He said he sent them after her hoping she’d kill them to unlock something in her blood. Said a Nymph was only a Nymph when they spill innocent blood.” Damon tensed when he heard the audible grinding of the Hunters’ teeth before he continued. “He implied there were a few sets of Hunters that never reported back to him.” Dean shifted where he sat, a look of discomfort on his face as he rolled his left shoulder. “He guessed all of them were dead.” 

Damon felt the blood freeze in his veins as he consciously pulled you in closer to his body, covering as much as possible as he held you tight, ready to run with you if Dean got any ideas. The wound at his wrist healed once he pulled it away from your mouth. Good, it’d make it easier to run without losing more blood. 

Damon swallowed thickly before he spoke. “So you know then… what she is?” Damon glanced down quickly at your limp form before looking up at Dean again. The Hunters’ eyes had narrowed to dangerous looking emerald slits as he glared at the vampire holding you so close to him. 

Damon was sure the rage he saw in Dean’s eyes had a tinge of sincere understanding. Like he got why Damon had to ask, even if the question _did_ hurt the Hunter. “Yes, I know. No, I don’t care that she’s a Nymph.” Dean ground out through gritted teeth. “I care about _her_. I just want her to be ok.” Just as Dean finished, Damon felt you tense and grumble in his hold.

He looked down and saw your face, contorted with pain, glisten with hot tears on your cheeks. Just as Damon reached up to put a cool hand on your face, you gasped and practically launched out of the vampires’ arms. Automatically he went to reach for you but the next sound out of your mouth made the vampire freeze where he kneeled. You screamed.

*****

*Dean

That sound had to be the most gut-wrenching sound Dean had ever heard in his long life as a Hunter. This sound chilled his very bones. This was not a sound that Dean should ever have to witness come from you and yet as he watched you frantically throw your body away from your ex, the Hunter could not get himself to move even the tiniest inch towards you. 

“Stay away from me! Stay back!” You cried, holding your hands out in front of yourself as you attempted to scoot backwards on your back away from Damon. Your hands out in front pleading for him not to come closer as your hair fell in disheveled tangles all around your face. Hiding your terrified features save for one darting (y/e/c) eye. 

Damon, on the other hand, looked as if you had just stuck a knife in his heart and jerked it to the right. “Y/N?” He made a move to crawl to you and the high pitched “No!” That came out of your mouth snapped Dean out of his paralysis. Dean forced his body to work. He quickly crawled on his knees towards you and put his big hand, still bloody from pressing at the once bleeding wound on his neck, on your arm. 

“Y/N.” He said gently and when you whirled to face him, your right hand in a fist ready to deck him. Then you paused and took in his face before tackling Dean to the ground. “Dean!” The amount of relief and sadness you put into saying his name had the Hunter glad he was on his back, for if he had been standing he would have fallen to his knees. 

Overwhelming joy as well as his own relief cascaded over Dean’s heart as his arms came up to fold around you in a vice like grip. He squeezed his eyes closed as he tucked his face against your neck and tried to take steady breaths as he held you close. “Y/N…” Dean tried to speak but couldn’t get the words out from around the lump stuck in his throat. 

“Are you hurt?” Your voice was small and shaky and to hear it this way made Dean’s chest ache. “When I… when I saw him, his claws on you I… I couldn’t…” You whimpered and burrowed closer to Dean and he did the same. “I’m so sorry Dean.” The Hunter could feel your tears soak his shirt and all he could think about was how much he didn’t give a shit so long as you were ok. 

You could cry into his shirt, rip it up, tear it, stain it with your blood he didn’t care. As long as you were breathing and in his arms, he couldn’t care less. “Shush, baby.” Dean crooned as he turned just enough to kiss your cheek, your temple, the crown of your head before ducking back into your neck. “Shshsh, you’re alright, I’m alright. It’s ok. I’m right here.” 

A shadow passed over Dean’s vision and the Hunter automatically flipped you both so that his body covered yours and he crouched over you, ready to spring at a moment’s notice if another threat loomed over you. “Damon, don’t” The voice of the other man who had shown up with Damon reached Dean before he actually saw the pair. Damon was being held back by the smaller man as the vampire vainly tried to push his way forward to your side. 

“Damon, stop! You’ll terrify her.” “Back off Stefan, and get out of my way.” As they fought back and forth you shifted out from beneath Dean and sat up looking at the two in confused weariness. Dean turned and pulled you closer as you continued to stare at them. “Look at her Damon, she’s traumatized.” The other man, Stefan, lectured. “Give her a minute dammit, you’ll make it worse.” Damon looked up from the slightly shorter man to meet Dean’s gaze.

And if looks could kill Damon’s would have caused Dean to spontaneously combust. The older Salvatore looked ready to finish what Klaus had started with Dean, and the Hunter was more than a little on edge after being so helpless to protect you against the Hybrid. But that didn’t mean Dean was going to back down. If Damon wanted a fight, Dean was sure as shit going to give him one.

But just as Dean prepared to push you behind him and stand, you shifted forward, out of Dean’s arms, and looked up at the two quarrelling vampires in front of you. After another moment, you spoke. “Damon?” You whispered, and the amount of bewildered relief in your voice when you said his name nearly matched what you had done with Dean’s. It also helped stop Damon’s steady, purposeful march towards you and the Hunter. 

Damon took deep breaths to steady himself but when he spoke his voice was still tight. “Are you alright?” He asked, his lips hardly moving as his critical gaze ran up and down your frame. Nothing sexual about it but the intensity still made Dean feel like he wanted to deck the asshole in the face. 

“I’m fine.” The softness of your voice betrayed the lie and both Dean and Damon easily saw through it. Yet neither man called you on it. Instead Dean allowed you your space as you collected yourself. All he wanted to do was reach out and touch you but he’d wait until you were ready.

*****

You were exhausted. After Dean and Stefan managed to get you in the car your body just seemed to shut down. Your limbs shook and your brain was foggy. If it was even possible, you’d think you were in shock. But Nymph’s didn’t go into shock. Nymph’s weren’t human.

You squeezed your eyes closed. ‘ _Nymph’s weren’t human_.’ How could only a few short years have made you forget? How could a few short months, make you feel like you were one of them instead? As the images of Dean, Sam, Bobby and Brutus appeared in your mind you realized that both were stupid questions. Beside you Dean shifted and a jolt went through your heart. 

You sat in the back of Damon’s car curled against Dean’s side. The Hunter held you close against him. One arm wrapped around your shoulders as he held your right hand in his left. You were shaken. You had been so helpless against Klaus, and he had almost killed you. More importantly, you had put Dean in danger and the Hybrid had nearly killed him as well.

If Damon and Stefan hadn’t gotten to you in time…. You tucked your face into Dean’s chest and curled in tighter, sobbing quietly yet in the dead silence of Damon’s Camaro, it was as loud as if you were outside yelling. Dean leaned down and pressed his lips to the top of your head. 

“Shh, baby, you’re all right.” He murmured. Moments went by with the both of you like that before you heard rustling coming from the front seat. A second later and you felt another heavy jacket being laid over you. It took a minute to compose yourself before you lifted your head and blinked away the stagnant tears that had seemed to find a home beneath your lids. 

The image of Stefan’s face came into focus as he looked at you from the front passenger seat. His body turned around so that he could face you properly. It was the first time since you woke up in Damon’s arms that you had actually taken real notice of the younger Salvatore’s presence. It was impossible, you knew that, but somehow the youthful complexion of the man you remembered seemed to have aged decades since last you met.

The man returned your gaze steadily for a moment before giving you a barely there smile and speaking in a gentle voice, “Hey Y/N.” He said, his voice almost a whisper. “Been awhile Angel Face.” Stefan smirked and you felt a hollow part in your chest swell just the tiniest amount with new life at the old name. The verbal jab meant to distract and lighten your heart. 

“It sure has.” You said, your voice barely above a whisper too as you shifted just a bit against Dean in order to better see Stefan. “Sorry we have to see each other again under such dreadful circumstances.” You apologized and you genuinely were sorry. 

You had imagined the next time you met your best friends’ boyfriend, it’d be a much happier situation. But then again, coming back to Mystic Falls had done nothing but stray from expectations. Why would this be any exception?

Stefan shook his head, the same sad smile still in place as a faraway look entered his eyes. More than likely he was thinking the same thing. “Yeah,” he began, his tone cool and distant. “No kidding.” He seemed to shake himself out of the daze before fixing you with a more focused stare. 

“You feelin’ any better?” Even as he asked, your hand tightened around Dean’s in a need to reassure yourself that he was beside you. As if feeling his heart beat against your cheek where your head lay on his chest wasn’t enough. 

Still, when you spoke, your voice was steady, even if it wasn’t as strong as you’d have liked. “I’m alright Stefan, thanks to you.” You couldn’t help it. Your gaze shifted to Damon who kept looking at the road as he drove you all back towards the Boarding house. You licked your lips before taking in a breath and speaking a bit louder. “All of you.” 

At that Damon looked into the rearview mirror and met your gaze. Icy blue meeting (y/e/c) for a moment before he nodded and looked back to the road. He had been avoiding holding your stare for too long and though it didn’t quite sit well in your chest, you appreciated his effort to back off his intimate pestering. A possessive fight between your current and ex-boyfriend was not what anyone needed at the moment and you all knew it.

You sighed softly and looked up to see Dean looking down at you, his gaze curious yet somber. Again you caught yourself wondering what the two of you would be doing if you hadn’t crashed right outside of Mystic Falls. Dean would probably be making good on his promise. After you had dropped off the books and files with Bobby, the two of you would have taken off somewhere secluded and shacked up for the better part of a week or two.

There would be no talk of vampires. No weary conversations about what new branch of the supernatural world Dean had uncovered. No phantoms of the past nearly killing you and the other Hunter… No Damon. The thought itself stung but looking into Dean’s eyes now, you knew you could have bared the feeling so long as he was there. 

You’re not sure what made you move from one second to another but one moment you were staring back into soft emerald eyes and the next, yours had closed and your lips were pressing against Dean’s. The Hunter made a surprised noise in the back of his throat but before long you felt him begin to kiss you back. For that one moment, everything else seemed to just fall away.

Wrapped in Dean’s arms you sank into the kiss with ease. You felt him move you to be sitting in his lap but all the while he never broke the kiss. You were eager to get back to a safe place. You needed to feel Dean against you as you slept. Both of you were exhausted and being in each other’s arms is something that you both needed. 

The kiss slowed and soon you broke apart. For a moment, you only stared into one another’s eyes, Dean’s hand coming up to brush the pad of his thumb gently across the line of your cheekbone. You leaned into his hand and took a deep breath. You couldn’t believe he was still there with you. 

Klaus had nearly killed him. Since he has been here, Dean woke up in a hospital, came face to face with your ex, agreed to stay in said ex’s house, found out Damon and the others were supernatural’s, nearly died a total of four times, fought with you endlessly it seemed and finally, found out you were a Nymph. And yet he was still here holding you. 

Still kissing you. Still at your side even after all of that. It takes a special kind of man, and you had never expected a Hunter to be that way. And at this moment you couldn’t be more grateful that Dean wasn’t like the other run-of-the-mill Hunters. If you hadn’t already begun falling for the older Winchester, you were sure this would have been what made you start.

“Dean I…” What you were about to say was cut short as you felt the car suddenly jerk to a stop as Damon slammed on the brakes and threw the vehicle into park. Dean’s hand on your cheek flew out to quickly brace against the back of Damon’s seat while the one around your shoulders slid down to wrap tightly around your waist before you both could be thrown towards the front windshield. When you looked back up at Dean his face had changed from the warm affection he had just moments before to a mask of irritated fury. 

“Be more careful dammit, Y/N is still recovering.” The Hunter ground out. Damon threw a dark look into the rearview mirror as he replied. “She’s a lot stronger than you think she is, Hunter. You sure _you’re_ not the fragile one?” The vampire challenged and immediately the tension in the air became so thick it nearly choked you. Damon turned and threw his door open, exiting the car, and slamming his door hard enough that the frame creaked yet miraculously didn’t crack the window.

Dean’s breathing had turned ragged and deep as he tried to leash his anger and you gripped his hand in yours just to try and give him something to ground himself with. But you could see it was no use. Damon had pushed Dean on purpose with that jab, and Dean wasn’t about to back down. He squeezed your hand once before leaning down to kiss your temple. Then he ripped himself away from you. Gently moving you off his lap and to the seat on the other side of himself so that he could reach the door and yank on the handle. 

“Dean wait…” You began, but you might as well have been talking to the wind. Dean was out the car and stomping towards Damon’s dark figure before you could finish your sentence. Only then did you realize you were already back at the Boarding house. 

The front door was illuminated softly by the outside lights stationed on either side of the main entrance as well as the lights still on within the house. You crawled towards the opened door and began to drag yourself out when Stefan suddenly appeared and helped you gently through the opening and to your feet. 

Dean had been right when he said you were still recovering. Damon’s blood had healed the wounds Klaus had inflicted but could do little against the werewolf venom the bite had contained. You hadn’t wanted to mention it because you didn’t want to worry the guys but now you could feel the effects weighing on you. It had left you weak and a little groggy. The ache in your bones would get worse the longer you stayed out in the cold.

You had _some_ natural immunity to the venom but the only way to get better was rest. But how could you do that with both Dean and Damon at each other’s throats at every turn? You took a deep breath and allowed Stefan to half hold half brace you against himself, making sure that the jacket he had given you was wrapped around your shoulders securely over Dean’s leather one before you had to feel the cool Fall air. 

“I’ve got you Y/N.” Stefan assured as he pulled you against him and closed the door to the car once he was sure you could stand for a moment on your own. You were shaking and it was not entirely from the cold. You were feeling light headed and the exhaustion was also starting to catch up to you. All you wanted was to go inside and curl up under a blanket and sleep for a week but you couldn’t leave Dean and Damon alone. Not right now.

Dean reached Damon as the vampire started pacing back and forth in front of the awning to the front door. “Hey!” Dean growled out and you forced your feet to move towards them, Stefan never further than a few steps away as you made your advance. “What the fuck is your problem, _vampire_?” Dean accused as he took his stand in front of the prowling older Salvatore. 

“Back there I thought we were on the same side…” “You’re my fucking problem!” Damon snarled back and came to a stop to fix Dean with a stare of pure fury. “You’re the reason why Klaus came this close to killing Y/N tonight.” Damon pinched his thumb and index finger so close together the head of a pin wouldn’t fit between them. 

“We are _not_ on the same side, and if that son of a bitch is back in town then **you** , little Hunter, are the wrong fucking person to be ‘ _protecting_ ’ her.” And just then, Damon bared his fangs at Dean. “I’m done letting you drag your bloody hands all over her.”

The breath froze in your lungs as you stared at Damon’s eyes as they changed. The veins popping out around the sockets. The whites of his eyes bleeding to be covered by scarlet red as the predator took over. “Damon don’t!” You pleaded and took a step forward only for your leg to buckle, and if not for Stefan’s inhuman reflexes, you would have face planted onto the concrete driveway. 

“Y/N!” Stefan said hastily, worry saturated his voice as he stopped your fall and pulled you back up against his side to help right yourself. Your eyes had gone to Dean as you fell and when he whirled around in that instance and locked gazes with you, all the anger faded away. He backed away from Damon, the tension automatically leaving his body as he faced you. 

Another moment went by like that before you saw his hands clench into fists and his eyes darted behind him to pin Damon with a glare. “After everything that just happened, you’re still just itchin’ for a fight, huh?” Dean growled out lowly before turning to face the still very pissed off vampire. 

“I’m not gonna fight with you Damon. If you want to disregard Y/N’s health then _you’re_ the wrong one to be protecting her. If her being with me is too much for you to handle, I don’t mind staying with her at the police station or the hospital waiting room until morning. When my brother comes to get us, you won’t hear from us again.” The tension in Dean’s shoulders as you watched his back gradually faded as he took a deep breath. “I can promise you that.”

With that he turned around and began to walk towards you and Stefan. Damon was fuming. Albeit isn’t smart to turn your back on Damon at the best of times but now that Dean had insulted and aggravated him simply by breathing, you were worried and kept a close eye on the vampire in case he decided to try anything. 

Evidently you weren’t the only one, since the tenseness of Stefan’s body against yours indicated he was ready to set you on the ground in a haste if he needed to restrain his brother quickly. Damon must have noticed this too because after another moment of rage filled glowering at Dean’s back as he made his way to you, the older Salvatore walked further back into the tree line of the property. Inaudible muttering rose up around the driveway as you watched him begin to pace again. 

Once you were sure Dean was not about to be tackled to the ground and killed, you focused back on the Hunter striding towards you. Dean came to a full stop and held out his hands to take you from Stefan’s grasp. The vampire’s tense form surrounding you relaxed a bit as he turned his gaze to the Hunter. Not enough to relinquish you outright, but enough to assess the man before him.

The younger Salvatore regarded the Hunter wearily for a moment more but when you tugged on his sleeve to indicate it was ok, he gently transferred you to Dean, who promptly scooped you up into his arms. You instantly curled against his chest. Your head laying over his heart and one arm wrapped around his neck to help you hang on. Dean bent down and pressed a soft kiss to the crown of your head where your hairline began. Once again the feeling of utter safety swelled in your heart and you sighed as he folded you closer to his chest. 

Once you were settled in his arms Dean looked at Stefan, dark green eyes regarding the vampire for a moment before he spoke up. “Would you mind driving us to the hospital?” He asked, casting a glance at the Camaro behind the young Salvatore. “I’d do it myself but…” He glanced down at you for a moment before returning his gaze to Stefan who did the same before hesitantly speaking.

“Right now, the best place for her to be would either be in a house owned by a human or in the Boarding house.” He angled his head towards the huge building sitting eerily behind Dean. “And it’s too late tonight to ask any of our friends to house her.” Stefan tried to put gently. 

But Dean wasn’t hearing any of it. “I’m not staying someplace where I have to keep both eyes open all night waiting for either that thing or your friend there to try and rip my head off.” He growled as he motioned to Damon who was still angrily pacing. 

Stefan eyed the agitated vampire for another few moments before turning back to Dean, his eyes and the set of his jaw projecting stubborn determination as he spoke. “Let _me_ worry about my brother.” He said, casting a meaningful look to you before staring at Dean again. “What’s important is your safety. Yours and Y/N’s. Damon won’t put her at risk, even if he says anything, he won’t risk her. And I’ll keep him in check, you have my word.” 

Dean looked like he was ready to slam Stefan into the windshield of the car. “Your brother huh?” Dean muttered. “Can’t wait till _my_ brother gets here.” He nearly whispered but you and Stefan easily heard him. You looked up at Dean then, your nose just barely grazing the underside of his jaw where he held you so close against himself. “Dean?” You questioned, gaining his gaze in return.

For a long moment the two of you just stared at each other yet the feeling passing between you both was almost familiar. Similar to how you and Damon could convey a thought or feeling through a glance alone. Finally, after another moment like that, Dean sighed heavily and bent forward to press a kiss against your forehead before turning back to Stefan. Who had been waiting patiently with a look of deep contemplation on his face.

You ducked back under Dean’s chin to avoid the heavy focus of Stefan’s eyes as Dean spoke. “If you swear you won’t let him within sniffing distance of me or Y/N, and that you can guarantee at least another few hours’ sleep for us before the nights over then fine, we’ll stay here until my dad and brother get here.” You turned your head up to see Dean’s face again. You had never heard him refer to Bobby as his dad before.

It was obvious of course, how much the older Hunter cared for the two Winchester brothers and they him but you had never given it much thought. Every Hunter worth their salt knew the stories about John Winchester. How he tugged his two boys around from the time they were little on hunts until the eldest, Dean, was big enough to hunt with him and the youngest, Sam, would be old enough to fend for himself while the other two were away.

You had sneered at those stories. They had been far too close to how you remembered your own father being and the bile that filled your mouth when you thought of the Winchester patriarch had been enough to make you sick on more than one occasion. It was amazing that Dean and Sam especially grew up into such great men. Perhaps Bobby had a lot to do with that too? You’d have to remember to ask the old man about it sometime. Alone.

“Deal.” Stefan said, nodding his head as you snapped out of the trance you had been in. “C’mon, you two can sleep and I’ll stand watch for the night in the hall.” Stefan turned to look at his brother again before speaking lower. “I doubt Damon will do anything, but I told you I’d keep him in check. I’ll keep that promise.” Stefan declared. Dean regarded him closely for a moment before nodding back.

“I’ll hold you to that.” Dean said, pulling you a little closer to his chest as he motioned towards the door with a tilt of his head. “Lead the way.” Stefan looked at you for one final moment before he began to walk forward. He opened the door and once again you and Dean were ushered into the large Boarding house. All the while acutely aware of Damon’s gaze on you all as you made your way inside.

Stefan closed the door and turned to start heading back upstairs. Dean followed close behind with you settled securely in his arm’s. Stefan’s foot had not moved from the first step before you all turned to the sound of the Camaro’s engine revving up. You heard the vehicle being thrown in reverse before the squealing of the front tires against the pavement registered. A minute later and the house was thrown into eerie silence once more.

The sound of Stefan’s heavy sigh made you and Dean turn around to look back up at him just as the vampire was shaking his head. A downcast look marring his beautiful face. “I’ll talk to him later.” Stefan said and turned back to start walking back up the stairs. Dean huffed under his breath as he readjusted you in his arms as he began to follow.

Only then did you analyze what Stefan had said. He didn’t say that for Dean’s benefit. He said he would talk to Damon later because he knew it mattered only to _you_ what the older Salvatore would think of this. More than once that day you found yourself wishing that what Damon felt and did no longer mattered to you. Unfortunately, as it was with most first loves, it was near impossible for you not to care.

*****

*Damon*

The only source of comfort Damon could possibly find at this moment was at the bottom of a bottle of bourbon. The Mystic Grill was closed and so were all the liquor stores in town but at the cemetery, there was a special bottle Damon always kept under the small stone bench in front of Alaric’s tombstone. That’s where he lay now.

“Can you believe this shit?” Damon slurred as he stared up at the moon. “She’s home Ric.” Damon said and his right hand tightened on the neck of the liquor bottle. “She’s finally home and I can’t touch her. Can’t make her smile. Can’t kiss her because she’s moved on.” Damon’s smile was bitter as he raised his head enough to take another swig from the bottle. The dark liquid sliding acidly down his throat as he let his head drop back to the stone with a thud.

“This new guy, he’s a Hunter, Ric. Not like you, but like her.” Dean was used to a different world of supernatural than the rest of them were. He was used to vampires with a mouth full of fangs. Not like the ones he’d find here. Damon laughed. “He’s _just_ like Clay. **Exactly** like that asshole.” He clenched his teeth together. “Neither of them deserve her.”

Damon lifted the bottle of bourbon and downed the rest of the contents before he sat up quick enough to make him lurch forward and fall to his knees before the tombstone. “Fuck.” Damon breathed and the bottle in his hand suddenly felt as heavy as his undead heart. “I’m no better Ric.” The vampire mumbled and he could feel the wetness gather in his eyes as his vision blurred. “I don’t deserve her like this.” Damon raised the bottle and threw it with all his might against the nearest tree.

The thick glass shattered and rained down to settle in the mud around the roots. The dent where the bottle struck prominent against the wood as Damon glared through his tears. Yet all the fight left him as he watched the remaining liquid that was in the bottle run through the grooves in the bark. “Fuck Ric, I could really use your help here buddy.” Damon pleaded before lowering his head and closing his eyes. “I don’t know what to do.”

A moment passed with Damon on his knees like that before he heard a soft shift in the wind and gentle rustle of the leaves on the ground. Both things triggering the vampire to rise faster than he thought possible in order to turn and face the intruder. Damon’s fangs dropped and his vision sharpened, turning from wet to steel within a second flat. 

Damon had had one hell of a day and this particular intruder was not welcome here. “What the fuck do _you_ want?” Damon snarled, the buzz of the alcohol fading rapidly as his vampire metabolism sped up at the presence of a threat. The intruder had the gall to chuckle before stepping out of the shadows and walking to stand directly behind Alaric’s tombstone.

“Now Damon, can’t a man just drop in on a friend in his hour of self-loathing?” The bastard grinned and Damon only felt the urge to jam his fist even deeper down the assholes throat. “Last time I checked, we weren’t ‘ _Friends_ ’ amigo.” The younger vampire sneered. “And I’m also pretty sure you preferred my _brother_ in the past.” Damon had to struggle not to gag on the bile that roiled in his stomach at the memory of Stefan shacking up with this monster.

It had left a rift in their relationship as well as the one between him and Elena. And when he left none of them had really gotten much of a chance to try and repair it. But Damon knew that even after all of that, just like when he forgave his brother for making him turn, he had forgiven him for this too. But Damon didn’t have to act as if everything was ok between him and this psychotic Hybrid. No fucking way. 

“What the hell do you want Klaus?” Damon ground out through clenched fangs. He knew that this show of bravado could very well get him killed but he wasn’t going to make Klaus feel better by thinking he intimidated Damon. The older Salvatore stood his ground as the Hybrids eyes narrowed dangerously. He studied Damon for what felt like an hour but in reality, it was less than a few minutes before the man shrugged and leaned forward to rest his boot on top of Alaric’s tombstone. 

“I’m just here to reacquaint myself with the old gang.” He said with a smirk as he looked down at the stone under his foot. “’Alaric Saltzman. He. Was. Loved.’” He read the tombstone in an expressive tone that didn’t hold back an ounce of sarcasm. Then he started to mumble as he read the rest and Damon wanted to snarl when the fuckers’ brow scrunched together and he pointed at the stone in scrutiny. 

“You know,” He began, acting as if this conversation were completely genuine and not a fabrication staged just to agitate Damon. “I’m pretty sure the birthdate on this stone here is wrong.” He looked up at Damon and smiled wolfishly before he scraped his boot off on the stone and settled the foot back down on the ground.

“I was in that body of his, if you recall.” Klaus continued nonchalantly. “It had a certain, air to it that wailed of a fifty-year-old, failure Hunter with a massive drinking problem.” Klaus chuckled before the smile dropped and his hands went up in a false display of surrender. “Oh, my apologies mate. I know that was something you rather enjoyed from your friend here wasn’t it?” The grin he gave Damon embodied malice as he spoke through a harsh expression. “Still too soon?”

Damon tightened his hands into a fist. He’d lose in a one on one fight against Klaus, he knew that. It didn’t make watching the smug son of a bitch disrespect his best friends’ grave site any easier. Damon had to distract himself before he did something he’d regret a few moments after it happened. He needed to find out why this monster is back in town and why he went after you.

Just as Damon was about to start asking questions and getting an answer if at all were less than reliable, Klaus sighed and placed his right hand to his face in a bored expression. His thumb under where his jaw began and his index and middle fingers pressed slightly against his temple. His posture growing lax as if he were the most bored individual on the planet.

“Before you start asking, it was me that made the semi crash into Y/N’s car.” Klaus supplied, looking at Damon expectantly. “It was also me that sent the first set of Hunters after you and your friends.” Damon shook himself. “Why would you be dealing in Hunters anyway? Thought the one’s that didn’t work in our circuit didn’t interest you” Damon had to be careful. If at any moment Klaus felt offended or challenged, he could end Damon before he had a chance to warn the others. 

“Why gather up a handful of weak Hunters to take us down when you could have done it yourself and saved the hassle?” Klaus laughed, genuinely laughed at that. “Oh Damon, there is just so much that you don’t know.” In a flash, Klaus was standing in front of Damon, the younger vampire startled enough to move to take a step back, but thought better of it, and returned his foot to where it had been.

Klaus evidently thought this was amusing as he grinned down at the older Salvatore. “But I am happy to tell you. Maybe then, you’ll be more open to giving me what I want.” Damon snarled at the Hybrid. “Never.” He declared, his stance ridged and unmoving. Klaus, only smirked.

*****

“Why didn’t you mention something earlier, Y/N?” Dean chastised as he helped you out of your ruined t-shirt and pants and into bed. You had tried to hide it while you had been in his arms going up the stairs but the shivers had just racked your body out of nowhere. “I’m sorry.” You murmured. You could feel the werewolf venom racing back and forth in your veins, making you cold and hot in opposite ends of your body at each moment.

Dean shook his head and removed his clothes save for his boxers and sighed as he settled in beside you, pulling your naked body against his under the covers to share as much body heat as you required. He had hung both the jacket Stefan had given you and his own leather one on the bathroom doorknob. All of your clothes were covered in blood, mud and bile and it had taken Dean forever to rinse out your hair and wash your face.

He could scrub out his jacket tomorrow and maybe Stefan could wash _his_ jacket but there was no saving your shirt, and the pants would be more trouble than what they’re worth to clean. “Don’t be sorry.” Dean murmured into your hair as he held you close. “You just have to let me know alright? I can’t read your mind baby.” Dean ran a hand down your side, the rough calluses tickling the sensitive skin.

A soft sigh escaped you as Dean continued to rub his hands against your skin. Whether to help transfer warmth or just to touch, you did not know nor did you care. Dean could see what it was doing to you. Even after everything that happened this night, you couldn’t get over how beautiful he was. He was alive and he was yours. Nothing would change that.

Dean leaned closer and pressed his forehead against yours, taking a moment to stare into your eyes before he lowered himself more and captured your mouth. The soft moan that came from you only served to spur him on.

Within the past 48 hours, he had nearly died a total of four times, if you counted his fights with Damon at the hospital and earlier in Stefan’s room. You needed him now. You needed each other. Dean trailed his mouth downwards, leaving warm wet kisses in a line down from your throat to the center of your chest. The Hunter leaned up and reached underneath your back, unsnapping your bra and peeling it away from your body as he lifted up. 

Something about the way you looked at Dean then as he leaned over you made the Hunter pause. Immediately you understood. Of course he knew you must be tired. Exhausted, after everything that’s happened. The werewolf venom still milling about in your blood making you groggy. But his worry was unappreciated at this time. You wanted Dean. Evidently you were just going to have to prove it. 

You felt Dean hold his breath as your fingers dug in and trailed down his abs to stop at the band of his boxers. The smooth surface of hard muscle, marred every so often by tiny scars from years of the job, tantalized your libido and gave you just enough adrenaline to be bold as you softly trailed your fingers back and forth across the elastic band of his underwear.

“I want you.” Your whisper caressed Dean’s skin and sent good shivers all throughout his body. It must have stopped the doubts ranting in his head as Dean nodded his consent to you before you tugged his boxers down to the knees. Dean groaned as your hand trailed down from his lower abdomen to the base of his dick and stroked the sensitive flesh. “God, Y/N.”

It brought a smile to your face. Only you could touch Dean like this. He unraveled like this only for you. He was yours. Warmth spread through your chest as you let that thought sink in. Dean was _yours_. It made you just a bit bolder as you halted stroking the Hunters already erect length and looked up to meet his questioning gaze.

“Lay down.” You ordered softly. The tone leaving room for argument but knowing Dean, he would be fine with whatever you wanted to do. You smirked slightly when his lustful gaze closed and he groaned before tipping to the side and landing on his back. It dragged a giggle out of you, again it was something you noticed only Dean could do. His eyes opened and pinned you with a glance that held enough heat to melt a glacier. 

“What?” He asked and the sheer confusion on his face was enough to cause a full on laugh to burst free. “Nothing, I was just admiring your body.” You said, reaching forward and brushing your fingers across one nipple before going to the other and tweaking it gently between your index and middle finger. Dean groaned as his eyes closed again and he arched up into the touch. “Fuck Y/N.” He panted.

When you released him he looked at you in frustration as he panted heavily. After another moment he licked his lips and spoke. “We used the last condom.” He said, his tone dull and full of tension. He was right. The one you’d found in his wallet had been the only one Dean had. A pout began to form on your face before an idea suddenly came to mind.

You perked up and Dean raised an eyebrow at you in question before you crawled forward to straddle him, your eyes locking with Dean’s as his hands came to settle on your bare hips. “There’s one thing we haven’t tried yet.” You whispered in a seductive voice against his lips. Dean frowned at you.

“What are you…” You jerked up to a sitting position and took a second to grin at the surprised look on his face before spinning around where you sat on top of him so that you were now facing the door. At first, it might have looked like you intended to ride Dean, but without a condom, any intercourse would be a risk. So the next best thing? How about a 69?

“Y/N?” Dean asked, his voice shaky as you turned to cast a glance over your shoulder at him, your shoulder hiding your smirking pouty lips as you blinked at him. You lifted your head to blow him a kiss he could see before turning back around and, mustering up all the grace you could, slid your hips backwards until they rested directly over his chest and your face matched up with his groin.

This was a far kinkier position than either of you have tried yet and you would be lying if you said there wasn’t a little bit of blush coloring your cheeks at that moment. Dean had a habit of eating you out before he entered you and you had blown him once before already so you had both already given and received oral sex by now. But something about this position made you a little nervous. You felt, vulnerable.

“Y/N,” Dean began, his hands settling back on your hips again but this time squeezing a bit harder to massage the smooth muscle beneath. “Not that this isn’t extremely hot, but are you sure?” He asked, still panting as his hands slid upwards to rub along your back to your shoulders before retreating and palming your ass with both hands. You hummed at how good it felt before answering.

“I’m positive.” You confirmed, brushing the hair that had fallen across your face back behind your ear and over your shoulder. You felt it when Dean’s hands hesitantly slid lower to allow his thumbs to brush softly against your folds. It drew a gasp from you as you pressed your hips further back against the pressure.

“Oh, Dean.” You bit your lip to keep from groaning. You let out a shuttering breath before leaning down and licking your lips. Before your mouth could dip lower and close around Dean’s enticing cock, you felt his tongue swipe at your clit and drag down to your entrance where it swirled around the fluttering muscles before probing inside. 

You gasped. Your fingers dug into the comforter beneath Dean, this was definitely a different kind of intimacy altogether. You closed your eyes and slowly, gently, began to thrust your hips back against his mouth. Soft moans escaped as Dean’s hands came up to grip your hips and hold you down as he devoured your pussy with vigor.

After a few moments more you remembered you were supposed to be giving pleasure too, not just receiving it. Your head dipped down and captured the head of Dean’s cock in your mouth, flattening your tongue against the underside of the thick appendage as you slowly worked your way down the length. You heard and _felt_ the next groan Dean made as vibrations traveled through his mouth into your clit.

Your body was a live wire. Everywhere Dean touched just jolted with electricity and it spurred you on to make this a good experience for him. You pulled yourself away from that tantalizing part of your mind that coaxed you into laying down and taking Dean’s pleasure, and instead tightened the suction of your mouth. The next time you bobbed down on the ridged length between your lips you felt Dean try hard to abort the bucking motion of his hips before he could force himself to deep.

“Oh, fuck Y/N.” Dean’s mouth fell away from your pussy as his head dropped back to dig into the pillow beneath it. It sparked a warm feeling in your chest that he was the one having trouble now. But instead of replying, you pulled up, suckled the head of that beautiful cock, and prodded your tongue gently into the slit before tightening the circle of your lips again and pushing back down as far as you could.

“Ah!” Dean groaned a moment before you felt his hands back on your hips. His arms no longer held your legs open with their width but snaked under them and pressed against your sides as his hands suddenly jerked your hips a little higher. You were a second away from turning around and asking what he was doing when you felt his tongue return with a vengeance. 

That warm, wet tongue dove straight into your channel, driving in and slightly flattening inside in a mock way of stretching you open and you couldn’t help the groan that escaped you and vibrated through Dean’s cock. An answering moan escaped him and into your clit a second before you felt his right arm move and a finger slowly probed in right beside Dean’s amazingly thick tongue. You jerked yourself off of his pulsing cock before you bit him.

Fire cascaded through your body and the tight and tingling feeling at the base of your spine screamed for release. Close. You were so close. And from what you could feel from Dean’s clenching thighs and eager fingers and tongue, so was he.

Jerking away had pulled your hips out of the Hunter’s strong grip and away from his hungry mouth but not for long. Dean instantly yanked you back and wrapped an arm over your hips just above your ass to anchor you there as he continued the attack. You were right at the edge and Dean showed no signs of slowing down. So with another great effort, you moved a hand from the sheets beneath Dean and wrapped it around the large cock in front of you as you dipped forward and captured the head again. 

As you swiped your tongue over the slit and suckled at the full mushroom cap your hand tightened a bit around the Hunter’s member before you began to strip the appendage in long, fast strokes. Dean moaned and you pumped him a few more times before moving your hand down to cup his heavy balls in your hand. You felt Dean stutter in his movements before he slid his thumb around to trail through your labia to begin circling your clit. It was the last push you needed. 

As your vision whited out and the load moan you tried to voice vibrated from your throat into the Hunter’s member you drew your lips tighter, and gently massaged Dean’s balls with your fingers before sinking down as much as you could on his cock. Dean suddenly bucked up as his own groan ripped from his throat, and he came in a flood of slightly salty cum down your throat. You continued to suck, milking Dean of every drop you could before coming off of him with a pop and rolling to your side off of him, utterly exhausted.

You vaguely felt the bed shift beneath you as Dean somehow found the strength to get up, face the same way as you and flop back down, drawing you into the circle of his arms without bothering to lift the blanket now stuck under your languid bodies. Dean’s lips pressed unhurriedly against your own as he tried to catch his breath. You wanted to return it, but he was so warm and the bed was so soft. Surely he wouldn’t be upset if you just…

*Dream*

 _Your father’s rare smile tugged at something in your chest. A longing you weren’t sure where it had come from. You had been with him and your brother all morning. The soft flap of massive wings sounded close to your head and you quickly craned your neck slightly to catch a glimpse over your fathers’ shoulder. Your gaze caught movement and the sight of grand white, bird-like wings as transparent as the clouds in the sky left you in awe as they gently beat the air around them to lower you both safely to the ground_.

 _As he touched earth your father placed you on your own feet. Once he was certain you would not lose your balance on the steep slope of the mountain, he backed away and your brother came to stand beside you. You noticed a slight burning sensation on your upper right arm and looked over to him. Elias stood there with his full attention on your father but he was gripping his upper arm tightly. A small smear of blood seeping past his fingers to wet the area of his light grey tunic sleeve_.

 _A tendril of sadness curled around your heart as you saw your sibling injured but you immediately focused back on your father when he again began to speak_. “My children.” _He began_. “Do you both remember the story of the Dark Ones?” ‘ _ **Where is he going with this**_?’. _Of course you had heard the story. Every Nymph did by the time they reached ten years of age… physically, that is. You passed the thought to your twin whose only reply was a miniscule nudge of equal curiosity against your mind. Your father took your silences as a prompt to continue_.

“Hundreds of years ago, the Nymph’s of earth, water, and air, broke out in war.” _He began, his wings fading from wispy cloud furls to vanishing all together_. “Nymph Hunter’s on all sides raved about how the humans’ had taken the earth and ruined it. Polluted and poisoned it. Our territories were in shambles and infighting began within the ranks. Many, cried for blood. For vengeance for the destruction of a home that had been ours first.”

 _Your father stood at attention and you and your brother forgot the pain in your arms and straightened your stances as well_. “These factions formed in each Nymph society. Made up of those who believed that in order to save the earth and our homes, our families as well as our own lives, the humans had to be destroyed.” 

_Your father turned from you both and looked out over the vast stretch of land before him_. “Hunters turned on one another. Sibling against sibling, clan against clan. Those who killed the humans they were supposed to protect, tainted their blood with darkness. Our elder Gods and Goddesses grew angry by their actions, and cast a curse upon them.” 

_A shiver ran up your spine as you recalled the single portrait of this event ever recorded. It was painted as a mural into the walls of your home_. “The Gods deemed that to kill the humans who worshipped them and whom we had been entrusted to protect, would sentence us to a fate worse than death. Cursing the rest of us so that future generations would bare the punishment as well should they stray and repeat their predecessors’ mistakes.” _Your father looked to you both over his shoulder, the hardness of the gem returning to the amethyst irises as he spoke_. 

“To become a Dark Nymph, ensures a slow decent into madness. Eventually, you would die, but not before you watched yourself go insane and, unable to stop yourself, kill those you loved in the process. Before you would finally be granted the mercy of death.” _The edge in his voice was nearly tangible enough to cut yourself on_. “Whether it be after time, or by the blade of a fellow Hunter.” _Just as he said that, your father pulled out the sky iron blade with the copper center he treasured. The weapon itself the length of his forearm and nearly twice the width_.

“You must both make your pledge soon, that you will hunt the darkness to defend the light. Nymphs are guardians of Nature and peace. To go against that oath is to forfeit your lives. We protect the humans by hunting the monsters.” _He looked at you then, eyeing you both with a calculated stare as if he were stripping away the outer layers to reveal your spirit_.

“I trust that both of you understand what going against that would mean...” The last sentence faded softly as the blackness of sleep swallowed up your mind once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Creeping on the page, 'Questions, thought's, comments, here?'


	23. Facts in Order

You woke up slowly. Your eyes opened to dim light as dawn peeked into the room from under the door to the hallway. The dream fleeting like the distant memory it was as you regained consciousness. You couldn’t remember what it had been about, but some feeling of dread plucked at your heart strings as you tried to recall it. You couldn’t. 

You sighed, giving up the thought and focused your gaze instead on the sleeping figure in front of your face. Dean’s sleeping form greeted you as your vision cleared up from the grogginess of slumber. Soft movement behind his closed eyelids indicating the Hunter was still dreaming. He seemed so peaceful like that. 

You took a few moments to study him. His soft, sandy spiky hair that would look almost golden in the early morning sun. The light dusting of freckles where the same sun had kissed the flesh of his cheeks and the bridge of his dapper nose. His perfect cupids bow lips, plush and pink and so soft you were tempted to kiss him awake that very moment. 

You allowed yourself to imagine the color of the eyes that you would see once he _did_ wake. Bright evergreen in the early morning light. Or would they be granny smith green, or maybe soft emerald due to the lack of sunlight? A smile formed on your lips at the absurdity of your curiosity. 

And yet, you couldn’t help but wonder. This human. Such beauty went into creating him. A gentle hand created the slope of his brow, the set of his jaw, the soft dip in his chin. A craftsman sculpted that body. The hard muscle beneath a small layer of plush on his stomach. 

The strength in those fingers that can run gently through your hair one minute and become dirty and damaged by working under Baby the next. The power in those wonderfully bowed legs. Even the smallest human imperfection seemed a welcomed addition to the image Dean portrayed.

Perhaps no one was perfect, but to you Dean seemed to come very close. No, fuck that. Every imperfection was still not enough to make the Hunter any less than perfect. Your smile widened across your face for a second as you enjoyed the thought and the warmth in your chest as you let the feeling settle. Only the sound of two familiar engine’s pulling into the circle driveway out in front of the house roused you from your contented peace.

Dean was also dragged out of blissful sleep as one engine reamed and backfired twice. He stretched out on his back beside you on the bed and you took notice of how his arm under your head slid down to tighten around your shoulders as he did so. A look of disgruntled curiosity pulling his plush lips into a tight grimace. 

“What the hell?” He managed to get out just before a yawn broke in. You chuckled. “I think Sam and Bobby just got here.” You supplied, taking a moment to stretch as well and get the slight kink in your lower back to unfurl. You didn’t miss the lustful leer Dean gave your chest as the blanket slipped down just enough to expose your breasts to the soft light.

You flashed a quick smile at him before you swung the blanket off of yourself, leaning down to pick up your clothes from the floor as you pushed off the bed. “Do we _have_ to get up _right now_?” Dean asked, his voice muffled by a pillow he had dragged over his head. You smirked and shook your head. 

You moved to take your clothes to the bathroom to have a quick shower before seeing the others. As you opened the door and stepped onto the cool tile of the room you threw over your shoulder to the Hunter, “Of course not. We can just let Bobby and Sam walk into a supernatural den on their own and hope that they fair better than you did.”

Seconds later and Dean was following you into the bathroom. “Point taken. I’m up.” He said, yawning one more time before shaking his head to clear it of sleep. You chuckled again. “Of course you are.” You said as you stepped into the shower stall and adjusted the temperature of the water while Dean followed and grabbed the shampoo for your hair. He popped the cap, poured a good amount into his hand, put the bottle down and began to lather the soap gently into your scalp. It was beyond relaxing.

As you stood there, half in and half out of the spray of warm water to rinse the soap out, you let the events from last night play back in your mind. You and Dean still hadn’t talked about what had happened. Klaus, the witch, you being a Nymph. It didn’t seem right to go down and meet Sam and Bobby without you both being on the same page first. 

You took a deep breath and began to turn to face your Hunter in the shower but before you could, Dean’s arms wrapped around you from behind and pulled you tight against his chest. The warm water sluiced down both of your bodies and you just stood there, not talking, as time passed by. After another moment, Dean’s mouth moved gently over your skin as he nipped and mouthed kisses into your shoulder and neck before whispering into your ear.

“Are you alright?” He asked gently, his mouth returned to press soft lips to your shoulder blade as he held you tighter. Suddenly everything just crashed down at once and tears sprang to your eyes only to fall and mix with the water running down your cheeks. You took a moment to level out your breathing, all the while Dean caressed your body with gentle hands and soft lips at your nape.

Once you felt sure your voice wouldn’t crack when you tried to talk you answered him. “I’ve been better.” Your voice was still very soft, hard to hear over the din of the shower. But he was close enough to hear you and only nodded as his arms around you gave a little squeeze of reassurance. It felt so good to be in his arms.

“It doesn’t change anything.” Dean said beside your ear. The firmness of his voice sent a warm shiver down your spine. You found yourself pressing further back against him, pushing him into the wall of the shower and the full stream of the water cascaded down your head. You watched with weary eyes as the water fell from your hair in steady sheets and hit the tiled floor only to continue on down the drain.

“Doesn’t it though?” You asked, tiredness making your voice weak. “No. It doesn’t.” Dean pushed you forward gently. Once you were out of the spray he turned you in his arms and pushed you up against the opposite wall. The tile felt cool and slick against your back, making you focus on the man in front of you.

You locked gazes with him for a split second before dropping your eyes to the luffa hanging from one of the small racks set into the shower wall. You thought maybe this conversation would go easier if you didn’t look at him directly. But Dean was having none of that.

He cupped his fingers below your chin and lifted up just enough to make you have to look at him. He stared directly into your eyes as he spoke. “None of it. You hear me? Not one damn bit of it, changes how I feel about you.” Was he serious? How could none of this possibly not affect how he felt?

But the look in his beautiful green eyes said that he wasn’t lying. He was being honest. A string in your heart tugged ever so gently and you moved closer to kiss him. Just as your lips met you heard something downstairs shatter, followed by a gunshot and shouting. No words were exchanged between you and Dean only action as you quickly shut off the water and jumped out of the shower. 

You scrambled to put on your jeans again and your bra from yesterday as Dean slid into his jeans as well. You made it to the door, the water from the short shower soaking into the fabric of your clothes and chafing the skin slightly as you yanked the door open.

“Y/N!” Dean’s voice made you turn but your body was already moving. He threw his canvas button up at you and you nodded before turning back and taking off down the hall, slipping the shirt on and buttoning it up every other button to just above your breasts. Dean’s heavy tread thundering at your heels as you both ran down the stairs and into the parlor.

You stopped short at the sight that greeted you and barely had the sense to step to the side as Dean barreled into the room. He stopped just ahead of you, seeming stunned for a moment before he jumped into the fray towards his brother. Sam was facing off against Jeremy and Matt, a silver knife brandished menacingly in his large hand. 

In the corner, Bobby was aiming a large colt revolver in every direction imaginable. You were about to move towards him when Elena suddenly appeared behind him, yanked the gun out of his hand, and took off again. Bobby turned and was about to reach for the silver hunter knife in his belt before Stephen came up next.

The younger Salvatore was too fast for the seasoned Hunter and ripped the knife out of its sheathe before he sent it flying towards the opposite wall. The blade buried itself three inches into the wood of the bookcase near the kitchen opening. Holy shit Damon was going to be pissed. 

A scream suddenly alerted you, and your head jerked to the side to see Caroline huddling in another corner. Cas was standing over her with a bloodied Angel Blade in his right hand. Blood smeared around her mouth and a long gash ran from her left shoulder along her collar bone. Her pretty white cashmere sweater was ripped and covered in blood splatter. Tears ran down her face as her fangs pierced her trembling bottom lip.

A rage filled roar echoed off the walls as Tyler launched himself at the Angel. Cas turned quickly and flipped the blade into a defensive position. Tyler saw the weapon and stopped his attack short before he came within range of the swinging implement. Cas took his chance at the opening and lunged with his blade towards the boy.

As the Hybrid and the Angel faced off you saw the exact moment where Caroline was able to get to her feet, drop her fangs and run at Cas’s back. Instinct had you moving before you could order your body to do so. “Caroline stop!” You yelled, and Cas whirled around just as Caroline leapt for him. You didn’t even think about it before you jumped at her.

You made contact in midair as you reached out your arms and wrapped them around the stunned blond. Just as you both began to change trajectory you felt it. The searing pain of Cas’s seraph blade gliding smoothly against your stomach. You had never felt such pain before in your life.

The scream you let out wrung every ounce of air from your lungs as you and Caroline fell to the floor. “Y/N!” “No.” “Oh God!” You heard the voices of Sam, Cas and Bobby as you dropped like a brick towards the floor. You managed not to land face first due to an excellent catch by Tyler. The boy had managed to flit around Cas and ready himself to cushion both yours and Caroline’s fall. 

Caroline instantly righted herself beside her boyfriend, but all the fight had immediately drained out of her as she looked down at your bleeding figure. The pain was blinding. Another scream ripped from you as Tyler’s hand accidently pressed along the wound, hard. 

“Y/N?” Tyler asked, his voice high with distress and the whole room seemed to stop fighting. “Oh my God, Y/N, oh no!” Caroline helped Tyler set you down gently on the ground before she bit her wrist and allowed the blood to flow. You looked up at them, clamping your hand down tight over the long gash and clenching the screaming muscles together as best as you could to avoid losing too much blood. 

Somehow, seeing their stricken faces, both of which had prominent veins and bright, abnormally colored eyes, made you smile. It felt like old times. “Oh c’mon. We’ve been through worse, haven’t we?” You fronted with a confident façade. You couldn’t let the situation get any worse than it already was. The best thing for everyone now would be to fake it. But damned if it didn’t hurt though.

“Y/N!” “Oh God.” “What the fuck is wrong with you?” “She’s one of you, you son of a bitch!” “She’s a Hunter!” A borage of furious insults and accusations flew all around the room as you laid there with labored breath before Caroline pressed the wound to your lips for you to drink. You were desperately trying to keep calm as you looked up to see what was happening now.

Stefan and Elena, bloody eyes with veins popping out from the skin around their sockets, flitted to begin forming a barrier between the Hunters that had all stopped fighting to run in your direction. Stefan stood before you on the left with Elena on his right. Jeremy and Matt took up spots on either side of them and Tyler stood up and placed himself in the window between Stefan and Elena’s shoulders. All five bodies dropped into a defensive position.

You pulled yourself off of Caroline’s wrist as you felt the wound on your stomach begin to stitch together. As the area cooled you felt your muscles begin to relax. The blood had finally stopped seeping past your fingers so you gathered your strength and sat up enough to look down at the fading wound. After a moment, not even a faint line remained of the gash. You took a deep breath and slumped just a bit in Caroline’s hold.

“It was an accident.” Cas voiced in his defense, his tone strained and painful as he tried to catch a glimpse of you through the wall of fangs and weaponry wielded by the Mystic Falls residents. “Of course it was Cas, we know you’d never try to hurt her on purpose.” Sam’s voice rose, and he was tall enough for you to see his face at the angle over Stefan’s left shoulder. 

You tried to sit back up but Caroline’s arm that had wrapped itself around the front of your body pinned you to her front and only tightened as you strained to pull forward. You heard the low hiss the young blonde vampire emitted as she glared the Hunter down. Sam looked every bit ready to rush through the line and rip you away, but you shook your head. Doing that would only agitate their senses at this moment. 

“Whether you meant it or not you just stabbed my best-friend!” Elena nearly screamed at the Hunters. You saw her hands clench hard at her sides and you finally pulled yourself up into a sitting position, despite Caroline’s and Tyler’s protests that you should stay back. “Y/N can’t even seem to break up a fight between you thickheaded Hunter’s without getting hurt herself!”

“Guy’s, please.” You piped up, noting that Elena had called you her best friend and filed it away for later contemplation. You were still not entirely sure how you felt about that. But best not to linger on the unimportant parts of this situation right now. 

“I did not mean to hurt her…” “As if that matters!” Tyler growled, interrupting Cas’ attempt to defend himself. “You just walked into this house and started an all out war in the living room…” “We saw you drinking from a blood bag!” “I need permission to eat now?” “It made it obvious you were all monsters.” “You guys attacked us! Who’s the monster here?!”

Accusations and insults flew back and forth in waves. Every new argument holding enough venom and ire to make even breathing difficult. Your heart sank at the pending doom of this situation. You had hoped that Dean and his family would be accepted by your friends. The longer both groups fought, the farther away that possibility seemed to get. 

You tried to push yourself up again, but Caroline pulled you back down, keeping you away from the Hunter’s on the other side of the wall of vampires, a human, a Destined Hunter, and a Hybrid. They all seemed adamant that you be kept out of reach of the intruders. After what just happened, you couldn’t really blame them. But you didn’t enjoy the feeling you got of knowing your friends didn’t trust your boyfriends’ family.

“Get your hands off of her!” You heard the gruff bellow of Bobby on the other side of the wall and the shuffling of heavy footsteps as all three newcomers advanced on your friends. Suddenly, Dean stepped between both groups and shoved all three men back with enough force to make each one have to take a moment to regain their balance. 

Caroline, who still hadn’t let go of you, growled low in her throat as she dropped her fangs again. It was unclear if that was just an involuntary reaction or if she truly thought he was going to start another fight. Last night hadn’t exactly left a lot of space for the Hunter to make friends. But Dean paid no attention to the angry growls behind him as he faced off against his own family.

“Sam Stop!” Dean’s gruff order to his brother seemed to freeze the room as everyone stopped moving. “Back off all of you. They’re not gonna hurt her, or you dammit. Drop the fucking weapons.” You couldn’t see Dean from where you laid on the ground, but you didn’t need to. You knew this fight was over. 

You could see his bowed legs from in between the feet of everyone in front of you. It amazed you that he was standing up to his family in order to stop a fight involving yours. Dean didn’t know your friends that well. He had no obligation to yell at his brother, alternate father, and best friend for them. And again the thought struck you that he may not be doing it for them, but for you.

“They made her drink vampire blood, you idjit. Are you insane?” Bobby’s mournful cry seemed to reverberate through your very bones and your hand clutched the torn and bloody fabric of Dean's now ruined canvas shirt tightly in your fist. “Dean, what the hell? Do you want her to die?!” Sam nearly screeched and you heard the shift as Sam tried to push forward only for Dean to shove him back again. The look his brother gave him was hard to miss. Sam was looking at Dean as if his brother had lost his damn mind.

“It won’t turn her, Sam.” The older Winchester informed. “She helped her heal but it won’t make Y/N into a vamp.” A gruff scoff that sounded like it may have come through Bobby’s thick beard came out before the older man spoke aloud. “How hard did you hit your head in that car wreck, boy?” He growled. “You let these monsters feed my little girl _poison_!” 

“It isn’t going to turn me Bobby, I swear! It was just to heal me.” You said loudly, pulling yourself away from Caroline in order to stand. Tyler frowned at you but offered his hand to help you up anyways. Once you were on your feet you laid one hand on either shoulder of Stefan and Elena, urging them to let you pass as Dean turned to eye you critically.

You ignored it in order to pull the blood-stained shirt away from where the cut had been and pointed at the skin. “It’s hardly more than the phantom of an injury now.” You explained. And sure enough, only the shade of the skin was a bit shinier. A bit lighter. But in another minute or two it’d be completely unmarked once again. “It won’t even scar.” You confirmed calmly.

You had to smirk internally at that. Having been away from Mystic Falls for so long, you had started getting used to the knowledge that every injury sustained from doing the job had the potential to scar your skin. Blemish the body Damon had once revered. It was easy to understand his astonishment at seeing all the new evidence of violence left on you back in Stefan’s room.

But when you have a ready supply of ‘Insta-Heal Type V’ on hand, you take for granted all the stories erased from your skin, time and time again. No mark is pointless, for every scar says that you went through something and survived. Like a trial of sorts. To a Hunter, is was a badge of honor.

There is no greater proof of your resilience than the physical show of a fight. And the proof of you standing when something else had to die for you to earn the right to live. That was the life of a Hunter, after all. It had been the one thing that made Damon terrified for you.

You shook your head slightly. This was in no way the time or place to be thinking about Damon. But you couldn’t help the slight nagging in the back of your mind over the absence of your former lover. He always tended to do stupid things when he was as pissed off as he had been last night. You just hoped he hadn’t acted on it.

“Please Bobby, Sam, Cas… Please just, let me explain.” You felt the burning behind your eyes as your chest tightened. You friends were all still tense, watching and waiting in case one of the Hunter’s made a move that they didn’t like. They’d rip you away from the humans before either of them had the chance to reach for you.

Everything would be over then. There would be no second chance. And where would that leave you and Dean? You waited with baited breath for the others’ decision but Dean didn’t wait. He reached over and took your hand confidently. The hold gentle yet grounding. Stephen and Elena moved off to the side a bit to make room for the older Winchester to push himself into the line closer to you.

Neither moved too far away but they still gave enough ground not to be encroaching. Your fingers tightened around the grip Dean had, giving you a way to steady yourself as you took a deep breath, calming your nerves. You looked back at the others, and spoke. “Please?” 

*****

*Dean*

Dean watched from where he sat with you in his lap in the loveseat as Caroline tentatively handed bottled water to both Sam and Bobby. Cas had refused a drink, stating that he ‘Was an Angel of the Lord and did not require refreshments.’ But at least he thanked her so that was one thing Dean had to credit the awkward Angel for.

Sam and Bobby had flat out refused to drink anything other than something that was still sealed, and they could pop the tops on themselves. Both men were still more than a little on edge. They’d even tried to pull Dean back away from you, but the Hunter had flicked off their hands and pulled you into his arms instead. 

Cas had apologized profusely but you kept insisting that you were fine. When you had lifted your new black shirt that Sam had given you from the duffle bag in your trunk, much to Dean’s annoyance, to show everyone that the injury had healed completely, thanks to Caroline, Cas had placed his hand there and tried to heal you again. Though of course, he found nothing there to heal and Dean had to work hard to keep the disgruntled look off his face as he glared at his best friends hand on your naked belly. Dean had also replaced his missing shirt since his younger brother insisted it wasn't appropriate to walk around without one in such a tense situation, and Stefan had been kind enough to get rid of the ruined green canvas you had worn for him. 

That had prompted the Angel to state that he could have also healed the wound, and after seeing the looks on Bobby and Sam’s faces Dean was sure every Hunter there would have preferred it too. You had explained that whoever helped didn’t matter, as long as your guts didn’t go spilling out. It hadn’t been a great attempt at humor, but Dean couldn’t find it in himself to be upset at you for it.

It has been an hour since then and they still kept eyeing you like you might try to rip his throat out at any moment. Instinctively, the Hunter tightened his hold around your waist, drawing you closer as he sent a meaningfully sharp gaze at the other three. Dean couldn’t say that he blamed them for being cautious and of course a bit suspicious, but if either of them tried anything on you someone was going to get punched in the face. 

When she was done handing out the water, Caroline walked back to the couch beside you and Dean where she plopped down next to Tyler, who immediately wrapped one arm around her and pulled her legs up onto the sofa to rest against him. His hand possessively placed over one knee as he stared back at Cas with thinly veiled hostility. Dean was still puzzled whether that was just his usual look or if the kid was still angry at Cas for hurting you and his girlfriend. 

Recounting the events of that morning from Stefan had left Dean with a throbbing headache. Apparently, bright and early that morning Stefan had called everyone who had been at the house the night before back so that he could explain the whole ‘Klaus’ situation to them too. They had all been waiting for Bonnie to call back when Sam, Bobby and Cas had driven up.

And when the trio knocked on the door, Stefan had answered it and let them in immediately, unbeknownst to him that the vampires were having a late breakfast in the kitchen when the company walked into the grand room. Sam and Bobby had seen Elena and Caroline sipping blood from their transfusion bags and their reactions had been instantaneous upon instinct.

Sam had surprised the younger Salvatore by throwing a hard spartan kick into his back along his spine, causing him to lose balance and allow Bobby to take out his colt and fire. The bullet had only managed to hit the bag of blood since Caroline had turned at the last minute, thank Chuck, but it had sprayed her shirt the instant it burst. Making her look more monstrous than she really was.

Elena had dropped her bag as well, the remaining blood spilling down her chin as she flashed fangs at the Hunters. That’s when the fighting started and not a minute later both you and Dean had come hurtling down the stairs. Dean rubbed two fingers firmly against his right temple as he anticipated the coming argument. 

From where you sat above him on his lap you leaned down and pressed your forehead to his temple, stopping the movement of his fingers as your hand laced its own digits around Dean’s corresponding ones. He looked to you then, taking in every small detail of your face. Every stray strand of still-drying hair on your head. 

He had been both angry and fearful when he had heard you cry out and seeing Cas’ blade leaving your skin had thrown his mind for a loop. Of course it wasn’t the Angel’s fault, he hadn’t been able to stop his strike in time. But the instinct to protect you had made Dean shove Cas, his brother, and his surrogate father away so that the ‘Vampire’ could heal you. Dean closed his eyes and sighed as he leaned into your touch.

This was a mess, and the Hunter wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of how Damon was going to react when he came home. It wasn’t at all that Dean cared about the vampires’ feelings. More like, he didn’t think another fight between himself and your ex-boyfriend was a good idea for anyone at the moment. 

The kids had all cleaned up as best as they could but there was no covering up the smell of bleach and lemon. Even his human nose could smell the chemicals they’d used. He was sure the older Salvatore would smell it immediately upon entry to the house. And one look around at everyone would tell him there had obviously been a fight in his home.

That, as well as the fact that two very old looking vases were smashed, and the kitchen cabinet had a bullet hole in it. Dean took Bobby’s knife after Stefan had managed to extricate it from the bookshelf, but it left behind the distinct ‘blade’ impression. There were also a few scratches and scuffs on the polished hardwood floors.

Dean sighed again as he opened his eyes and leaned his head against your own while rubbing his thumb up and down on your clasped hands. He let the nagging thoughts plaguing his mind melt away for just a moment. Everything would be resolved now that he didn’t have to stay in this shit-hole town anymore. 

Sam and the others were here. They’d be able to get both of you out of here and back home to Lebanon. They could tow Baby back with them, ‘doubt the Sherriff will give me any problems with that.’ Dean thought with finality. He’d fix her himself and be out of this town for good. The both of you.

It was a huge mistake coming here and the faster he could get you away from this place the better for all parties involved. Maybe Dean could convince you to take a trip down to Mexico for a bit. Sam had researched a few stories that have come up recently about something going from ranch to ranch sucking the livestock dry, as well as attacking a few unlucky people trying to protect their property. 

The thought of a private hunt with you was exciting enough but the chance at bagging a Chupacabra was insane. Maybe it was time to cross off a few famous monsters from the books. It’d be one hell of a Guinness World Record. Dean smirked at the idea. Maybe they could arrange for a few trophy hunts when they got back to the Bunker? The thought alone made Dean’s chest tighten and warm him inside.

“So, are we going to talk at all about what just happened?” A growly young male voice interjected itself into Dean’s musing and he stifled an aggravated grunt just as you leaned away and repositioned yourself. Dean immediately missed your closeness, but you kept holding his hand, so he wasn’t too upset by the rude interruption. More irritated than anything, as he saw who it was.

Caroline leaned into Tyler’s tense form more as she gently rubbed her small left hand back and forth over his collarbone, just above his left pectoral. Obviously, she knew stopping the impending argument was impossible but calming the young Hybrid may be within reason. She leaned her head closer and tucked it back against the crook of Tyler’s neck.

“I mean, it’d be nice if your new friends would stop trying to kill us every time we meet one of them. What the hell kinda company are you keeping nowadays Y/N?” The young Hybrid accused, and Dean tensed. He wasn’t just talking shit about him and his family, this kid was really trying to get into your face about you being around them. 

“Hey watch your mouth kid, it’s not our fault!” Dean growled back at the boy. No one had the right to attack his family, no one. Verbally or otherwise. And if they expected for Dean to sit there and not rip into them, they would be dead wrong. “We’re Hunter’s kid. It’s what we do...” 

“Oh yeah? Attacking people without any reason is what you guy’s do?” Matt challenged, the blue of his eyes electrically charged as he glared from one Hunter to the other. “We can’t trust any of the outside Hunter’s” Tyler added as he bared sharpening teeth at Dean and his family.

“Both of you that’s enough!” Stefan barked at the two still glaring. “We had every reason to attack you.” Sam said from his standing position behind Bobby’s chair and Cas immediately moved to Sam’s side. Bolstering the strength of the group as Bobby lifted his chin in defiance. 

“When we walked in two of you were sucking on blood bags and the last message I got from my brother was that he and Y/N had been in a car wreck and that they were staying at _this_ house until the Impala could be fixed up.” Sam growled at the two young men who had tensed up when he and Cas had moved. 

Caroline was no longer in Tyler’s lap and only a restraining hand on his shoulder was all that connected them. This was shaping up to be more of a fight than Dean was willing to let happen at the moment. Another encounter between the two groups could be disastrous, especially with the possibility of Damon walking in at any moment.

“Not to mention,” Cas piped up as his fist’s tightened. “That Dean informed us that this house belongs to Y/N’s long-ago jilted lover.” The air that had been sizzling and snapping between them all suddenly became thick and uncomfortable. You fidgeted where you sat before you moved to sit on the armrest of the chair and released Dean’s hand completely. 

Dean couldn’t suppress the dark glare that plastered itself to his face. Cas could not have chosen a worse time to bring that bit of information up. Thing’s were just starting to settle down between you and him. The Hunter could already sense another ‘Private talk’ in the near future. It was starting to make the nerves in his right eye twinge. 

“Well, looks like being a part of Y/N’s life before you **is** enough to sentence all of us to death in your book, aye Winchester?” Tyler sneered, and Caroline gripped the Hybrids arm tightly as she growled in his ear. Too low for Dean to decipher anything other than her use of his name. 

“We’ve had Hunter’s here before.” A new voice spoke up and everyone turned to look at Jeromy as the young human glowered at Dean and the other’s. The boys’ eyes burned with anger. An exasperated anger that seemed to have had a few years to simmer.

“We’ve had Hunters’ who went after _just_ vampire’s before. Like how Alaric used to be.” With rough, jerky movements, Jeromy yanked up the long white sleeve covering his right arm. Dean narrowed his eyes at the revelation of the intricate looking tattoo crawling from the back of the boy’s hand all the way up to continue on beneath the sleeve resting at the center of his bicep.

“And Destined Hunter’s.” He said, pointing at the tattoo from top to bottom. “Hunter’s that were chosen to kill vampires to reveal this map. A map to a cure.” Jeromy leaned over the back of the couch he stood behind as he focused those hard-brown eyes on the Hunters. “Every inch of this tattoo I got from killing one vampire after another. But there was a catch to this curse.”

Dean shifted in his seat. He was listening intently on the kid. And from the slow breath’s he heard from his brother, best friend, and adoptive father, he could tell that they were too. Wondering just where the boy was going with this.

“I don’t know if Y/N told you this, Dean, but I almost killed my sister and the rest of my friends here to finish this map. I saw them all as monsters, same as you do now. Except I didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t stop.” Jeromy took a deep breath and Dean noticed the hand that went to rest on the exposed tattoo. 

Elena was gazing at her brother with stern love and forgiveness. There was a deeper story there, but Dean knew what he was getting now was all he’d get. So he stayed quiet. Waiting for the boy to continue as he reached for you. When his hand was just a few inches from touching your thigh, your hand shot out and pushed it away. Dean gritted his teeth against the sting of the rejection but said nothing as he returned his hand to his own lap.

Jeromy sighed heavily through his nose. “The cure my curse wanted me to find, would have been useless to me if I hadn’t gotten help to control it. Bonnie helped me fight the urges, and I finished the tattoo without sacrificing my family and friends.”

Jeromy leaned further over the edge of the couch, Elena continuing to pat his arm softly in comfort as his dark gaze drilled into Dean and the other’s. “But you guys,” He paused as he moved a critical eye over Dean and his family, skipping over you complete as he continued. 

“You all have a clear choice on who you kill or don’t kill, who you call a monster and who you think deserves the title. Y/N obviously doesn’t to you but at the same time the rest of us do? How is that a fair judgement?” Jeromy’s jaw clenched and the Hunter’s could easily hear the boy grinding his teeth together.

Was this kid seriously asking them that? Y/N told Dean about what happened to Clay. He knows that Damon and his brother, the young-looking vamp sitting a few feet from him on the other couch, killed your old partner horribly. They had ripped him up, tore out his heart right in front of you.

Granted the guy had gone crazy trying to hurt a, back then, human Elena, but monsters don’t get to be vigilante’s. They don’t get to murder Hunter’s and call it justice. And they sure as shit don’t get to take a moral highroad with Dean.

“Look kid,” Dean began slowly, really trying to fight off the urge to bend the brat over his knee. “Like I told you earlier, we’re Hunter’s. We don’t have time to play judge and jury when we hunt so we skip straight to ‘Executioner.’ We see monster’s, we shoot first and ask questions later. What else do you expect…” 

“Is that what you think of Y/N?” An angry challenge rose up from the other side of the room. “You think she’s a monster?” The only other human kid there, Matt, looked ready to fight and being around beings that had speed and strength advantages over him, Dean had no doubt whatsoever that the kid knew how to tussle. His fists were clenching at his sides as he glared at the Hunter’s.

The accusation made Dean’s whole-body quake in horror. The hand he had tried to place on your thigh tightened so much he felt the nails on his fingertips dig roughly into his calloused palms. A few bones in his fingers popped from the pressure and Dean summoned every shred of strength he had to keep from lunging towards the kids throwing out, what was it they said nowadays, shade?

“Y/N isn’t a monster.” Dean sneered, the truth of that statement was absolute. There was no way you could be counted amongst vampires and Hybrids, witches and who knows what the hell else was skulking around in the shadows of this town. You may not be human, but you sure as fuck were not gonna be counted as a monster. Dean would never let that happen. “She’s not like any of _you_.” 

“I’m sure you remember that she’s not actually ‘ _human_ ’ either.” Tyler chipped in as he leaned forward on the couch, and Dean felt when your body tensed where you sat on the armrest. He was ready to get into the Hybrids face just before another voice beat him to the punch. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Bobby grumbled as he made to stand only for Sam to throw his arm across the older Hunter. 

“And you guys want to pretend that you know anything about her, or about us for that matter? Typical.” Caroline scrunched her light-colored eyebrows together as she leaned back heavily against the couch cushions. Tyler reached back and grabbed one of her hands where it was folded under her crossed arms. 

“What the hell did you mean, Y/N isn’t human?!” Bobby growled and now they were all on their feet. Sam was glaring at the two boys who suddenly stood side by side, facing off the older Hunter, younger Winchester and the angel. Dean was on his feet before anyone could blink just as Jeromy leaped over the couch to put himself in front of Tyler and Matt. 

“Everyone back off!” Dean roared. These kids were not going to start anything back up again. He threw a glance at you over his shoulder as he shoved at Cas and Sam’s shoulders as Bobby tried to move around the younger man. Your fists were clenched, your eyes were shut, and your breathing looked like it was getting harder to maintain at a regular pace.

From the corner of Dean’s sharp eye he saw a blur of movement. When he turned his head to see what it was, Stefan was helping Jeromy move Matt and Tyler back to the couch. The younger Salvatore looked ready to break both men over his knee as he pushed them both to land on the cushions behind them. 

Caroline flitted to stand just before Tyler could land on her small form. The usually plucky little blond looked confused as to what she should do for a moment before she went behind the couch and put both hands on the Hybrids’ shoulders to keep him settled in the seat. 

“What the hell did the brat mean about Y/N?” Bobby yelled, gripping Dean’s arm tightly, forcing the Hunter to turn around and meet the wide and worried gaze of his adoptive father. “Bobby, it’s not what you think…” “None of you know a God damn thing about her…” Matt snarled.

“Guy’s that’s enough!” Stefan broke off Matt’s sudden outburst with one of his own. “It’s not up to any of us to tell Y/N’s business!” Stefan warned, getting a few looks of guilt and slight unease on top of the glares Matt and Tyler threw at the older vampire. 

A sudden shifting noise caught Dean’s attention and before he had a chance to check on you, your voice echoed around him. “You’re right, it isn’t up to you.” The Hunter nearly flinched when he heard the tone come out so dark and tight. He could tell you were furious. 

He turned just in time to watch a cold gleam enter your eyes as a flash of soft amethyst brightened the line along your irises before fading to your familiar (y/e/c) color. ‘That’s new.’ Dean thought, suddenly uneasy. What the hell could that have been?

“So why are all of you talking about me like I’m not right fucking here?” You glowered across the small distance at your friends, and the tense and hostile looks Dean had been watching cross every face since Tyler decided to open his mouth and start accusing people, faded to nothing but weary glances and chastised postures. They weren’t just respectful of you. They were fearful. The way a child fears their mother’s ire for doing something they know they shouldn’t. It gave Dean a whole new view of the life you had here in Mystic Falls.

“I’m not planning on lying to anyone, but if all of you insist on jumping to your own damn conclusions then I might as well walk out of the room and let all of you fight amongst yourselves again.” And if Dean didn’t automatically feel like a shaved cat after realizing you were talking about him as well, well he didn’t have to mention that to the others in the room. From the look on Sam, Bobby, and Cas’ faces, they were all feeling much the same anyways.

“All of you need to understand that I was hiding.” Dean watched your expression shift into a look he had never seen before. A look of absolution that hardened your gaze and brightened your irises. “When I left, I had dozens of Hunter’s tailing me, I still do.” Dean watched as your gaze flicked to Sam, Bobby and Cas before trailing to the ground for a moment. 

“Staying away was as much for you guys as it was for me. I had to make sure another group didn’t come here looking for me and find all of you instead.” Your hands clenched and unclenched in your lap before you were suddenly standing. “The way they did when I left all those years ago.” Dean could hear you gritting your teeth together as you fought to control your whirling emotions. “When they _attacked Damon_ and nearly _killed me_.” 

The line of muscle in every inch of your body was drawn tight and Dean moved away from the others to reach out to you. What you did next stopped him cold. You backed away from him. Dean felt his mouth drop open slightly as you shook your head before looking back at the Hunter’s. He watched as you licked your lips, took a breath, and spoke. 

“Bobby I…” Your voice faltered. You closed your eyes, and swallowed before starting again. “I’m not Human. They’re right.” Dean was able to catch another flash of amethyst in your shadow cast eyes as you gathered your courage and looked the older man in the eyes. “I’m a Nymph.”

*****

You couldn’t believe it. You had just blurted out your closest kept secret to two seasoned Hunter’s as well as an Angel that had every right and all the power to kill you. And you had never felt so free.

If they turned on you now you’d die knowing who and what you were. No more chains from the endless amount of lies binding your every word and action. Honesty had been a virtue. A luxury you couldn’t afford to have with anyone other than yourself. You had almost forgotten what transparency felt like. 

The shifting of each of your friends made you hold your breath as Stefan drew closer and Jeromy turned to face you. Elena and Caroline fixed their gazes on the Hunter’s as Matt and Tyler tensed on their seats on the couch. Stefan caught your eye as he stopped a foot away from you.

“Are they still hunting you, Y/N?” Stefan asked, his voice gentle though tense with worry. You fidgeted with your hands in your lap before you gathered your courage again and looked up to see the other five worried faces of your friends. “A group found me a few weeks ago in Sioux Falls.” Your eyes flicked to Bobby for a second before returning to Stefan.

“They burned down my friends’ house in the process. A few weeks before that, another team jumped me in the back-parking lot of some shitty bar in New Orleans.” Your voice caught in your throat as you remembered the attacks from Peter and then Jonah. 

An uneasiness settled over the group of young adults sitting around in the room. They all looked like they weren’t surprised that you had people stalking you, but the other emotions that raced across each persons’ features had you quietly studying the sudden onslaught. Worry was easy to read on many of their faces. So was fear, and anger. You could relate.

When you had been taped up and kicking while a group of men carried you between them, the fear had overridden your ability to think. When Jonah had burned down Bobby’s house, you could remember the worry you had felt for the three Hunters and your rotti friend. Then the rage that had settled over you when you thought about how close the man had come to killing them and kidnapping you had drowned out all sense of reasoning. 

But Sam and Dean had saved you from Peter. Dean had trusted you even after your presence in his life had managed to take so much from Bobby after Jonah came looking for you. Dean, for all the good it did, tried to help you stop your nightmares by trying to get you closure. Dean had done all of it despite the fact that he had seen you kill in ways that were inhumane by far. 

‘Inhumane.’ But you weren’t human. And from what you could gather, for the first time ever, Dean had looked past his aversion to anything that wasn’t human, for you. He was yours. And the uneasiness you had first felt when you realized he was a Hunter no longer made you feel like worms were inching their way through your intestines. More like… butterflies, flapping their wings against the walls of your belly.

The thought of you as anything other than human didn’t disturb him. It didn’t diminish you in any way, only seemed to be something that he instantly accepted. Dean had been raised his entire life to distrust, fear and flat out hate anything and everything that wasn’t human. 

It had been drilled into him from the moment John Winchester chose a Hunter’s life. And yet, it seemed as though Dean couldn’t find it in him to care. After everything that he and his family had gone through… it just seemed like he’d flipped the script on the rules he had always followed.

All the arguments he had made against Sam when his younger brother wound up in a relationship with a ‘monster’ didn’t seem to matter much when they were being applied against you. In some light, the older Winchester might be viewed as a bit of a hypocrite, but what did that matter to this family?

You’d find a way to get Bobby, Sam, and Castiel to accept you and with Dean’s help you knew it was possible. You knew in your heart that you trusted them. You also knew that now wasn’t the best time to start formulating plans ahead of schedule. You still needed to have a little discussion with Dean about what Cas had said.

What you had told Dean about Damon was supposed to remain between you and him. It doesn’t exactly scream ‘ _Trust us_ ’ to your friends when people they don’t know anything about hear that you have been gossiping about one of their own. Whether the conversation was intended to be private or not.

Out of the corner of your eye you were able to see Jeromy shift where he stood as his arms came up to cross over his wide chest. His brow furrowed and the look he had in his eyes made you sigh and turn to him. He looked back up at you and blinked hard before speaking.

“They’re getting closer to you Y/N.” The boy pipped up, Matt no longer trying to break the hold he had had on his shoulders and instead sank back guiltily in his seat as Tyler did the same. Caroline was now leaning over the couch with one arm draped over his back to anchor across his chest as her other hand gripped Tyler’s bicep in a gentle hold, kneading the muscle beneath the skin.

There was no point in lying. You knew that. They all knew that. Bobby was still staring at you with a mix of disbelief and betrayal. Sam was looking like he was trying to deny the revelation with all his might and Castiel was slowly trying to inch his way closer to Dean’s side.

Stefan was looking at you with a mix of are-you-going-to-tell-them-or-should-I? and an anxious aversion to the very idea of where this conversation was heading settled on your shoulders. Finally, you had no choice but to nod your head and let him continue what he had started that morning. It was the only thing he could do.

The younger Salvatore moved then, coming up beside you and pulling you into a familiar hug for a long moment. It had been such an out of the blue action that all you could do was stand there in his embrace, tense enough to shatter if you so much as moved a muscle. Yet after another semi-awkward moment, you found yourself reaching up slowly and wrapping your arms around the vampires’ slim torso.

It had been so long since you had enjoyed something like this. An easy companionship. Stefan had always been an easy person to talk to and more times than none he had been a shoulder to cry on when you had one of your rare fights with Damon. Elena was great when you needed to vent but when you needed real answers from someone whose been around the block a couple of times, as well as known Damon’s never-ending quarks, he had always come through for you. 

“It’s okay Y/N.” You heard him whisper softly into your hair, and it was only at that moment that you realized that your eyes were closed, and you were silently crying into his blue button-down shirt. You gently pulled back and stepped away from him. His hands fell away slowly but once he let you go Elena took his place.

Another unexpected turn of events. But there was no desire in you to push her away. So instead, you let her in. Back into your heart with the same ease you had managed to kick all of them out nearly six years ago. The sensation itself nearly brought you to your knees with relief.

A few moments more and you heard Stefan take a deep breath before he began to speak. “Since we got off track this morning and now have a few more ears that need to hear about this, I’ll start from the beginning.” The man said, a tired drag on his tone of voice as he continued. 

“Last night, when Damon and I went to get Y/N and Dean we found that they weren’t alone.” Stefan looked back at you for a moment, locking gazes with you in sympathy. “They were being hunted.” Elena’s arms tightened around you and you involuntarily squeezed her back. Stefan turned back and ran his gaze over the rest of the room.

“Klaus is back.” Stefan heaved, a huge weight dropping on every word. “He’s back in town, and he attacked them.” He pointed at you and Dean as the others bounced their horrified and terrified gazes back and forth between you and Dean. “He stole Y/N’s blood and nearly killed her. Nearly killed Dean too.” 

You looked over at Dean just as Cas, Bobby and Sam reached him and started looking him over for injuries and blood-soaked bandages that you both knew wouldn’t be there. He was staring at you like he wanted nothing more than to be the one to reach out and hold you. You wanted it too. So much. 

“We don’t know why Klaus is back or how he knew Y/N was here in town, but we need to do everything we can to make sure that he doesn’t have the chance to get at Y/N or the others again.” Matt was nodding and Tyler let out a low growl as Caroline voiced a ‘Yes’. Stefan turned back to you as he spoke again. 

“It might even be best if you and your friends get out of town for a while at least Y/N.” He said, his brow creased in thought. “At least until _we_ find out what this son of a bitch is up too…” “It’s a bit more complicated than that, little brother.”

You turned your head so fast you felt the twinge of the nerves in your vertebrae as Damon came into the room. A rather brooding looking Bonnie Bennett coming up right behind him. You let go of Elena so that she could go to Bonnie and immediately, Damon went to you.

Every move he made was without restraint or hesitation. Like everything that happened the day before never occurred. More importantly, the past six years didn’t happen. Damon reached out and pulled you into him, but not before you saw the shine of his eyes that he quickly blinked away.

“We’ll beat him back Y/N, I swear.” His voice was strong and determined in your ear. “He won’t get the chance to hurt you twice, I won’t let him. I’ll kill him before I let him anywhere near you again!” He growled, and you heard the grating of his teeth and by the sudden cursing and shuffling of footsteps behind you, you knew Damon had shifted. 

This was not the time to be worrying about the other Hunter’s in the room. Not when the fresh tears running down your face were blurring your vision. “Damon,” You began, your arm’s going up to hug the foolish vampire spouting nonsense, pulling your oldest friend close as relief that he was okay washed over you. 

“Doofus, you know killing him kills Tyler automatically, and Rebekka will come after all of you that are left.” From the corner of your eye you saw the Mystic Falls gang watching you both, silent but eyes ever calculating. You looked away as your hand moved up and down his back soothingly. “You know I’d never let you guys do that, especially not for me.”

Damon’s arms adjusted, one arm across your shoulders with the hand in the hair at your nape while the other crossed downwards over your back to rest that hand on your opposite hip, all the while pulling you as close as possible into his arms. “Then we’ll stake him and Rebekka and lock them both away.” Damon concluded, his voice full of fire. “I’ll keep him away from you, no matter what.”

*Damon*

Damon was at a loss for what to do now. The uncertainty threatening to derail his his sense of thought as he pulled you into his chest. Everything that he had heard from Klaus the night before was whirling around in his head like a continuous thunderstorm. It had to be all bullshit, right? It had to be just some sort of sick game the Original was playing with the older Salvatore’s mind. 

*Flashback*

_As Klaus leaned back and folded his arms in front of him, a smug look on his face as always, Damon stood stone still in horror. How could it be possible? Y/N’s blood? There’s no way… “You’re lying.” Damon said, though his voice did not hold the confidence he wish it did._

_“I’m not, really, but you are free to believe what you like mate.” The Hybrid said, stepping back once more to rest one foot on Alaric’s headstone again. “I have a way to destroy the veil forever. Create an army of supernatural dead, but I need the blood of a dark Nymph to do it. That’s why I compelled so many Hunters to come here.” Klaus smirked again, his expression frozen in place._

_“I needed them to go after her, you, and really any one of your pathetic little band so that she would have no other choice but to kill them all. It would have worked better had she stayed here where I could watch the progress unfold but my pawns were still able to find her with minimal effort. And from what I understand by the amount of bodies that have ceased correspondence, she has been doing an excellent job eliminating them.” Klaus raised his left hand to cup his chin, his thumb pressed against the underside of its point as the index curled elegantly over the top._

_Damon sneered at the Original. “From what I hear it’s only been recently that any of your groups found her. She evaded you all for years until she shacked up with that Winchester kid.” Bile was beginning to gather in the back of the older Salvatore’s throat as he continued, knowing he had to find a way to get out of there and warn you about Klaus’ plan._

_The Hybrid smiled and his eyes flashed amber for a moment before reverting back. “I needed her willing to kill again, Damon. If she’s just protecting herself, she can easily run and evade the Hunters I send. No, I needed her to _kill_ them. When I heard she had made contact with a new group I knew it was time to send in the hounds once again.”_

_Damon’s eyes widened, and his thoughts of escape came to a screeching halt. “Y-you never lost her, did you?” The younger vampires throat dried and it felt like he was trying to swallow sand as he watched Klaus’ shoulders shake slightly from a silent laugh. “No Damon.” He confirmed. “I always knew where she was. Every step of the way.”_

_Damon’s hands clenched into fist but what could he possibly do? Klaus was way stronger than him. Sure, Damon could hold his own in a fight but against an Original? And the oldest one at that, no, he wouldn’t stand a chance. “What do you want with her? It can’t just be her blood.” That couldn’t be the only reason. The way Klaus was beaming at the older Salvatore now made it seem like he was right to suspect a greater plan._

_“I have already shared everything I planned to with you Damon.” The Hybrid said, his voice like poisoned honey. “Do you really expect me to give up every step of what’s to come?” And with that, the Original turned to leave, and Damon felt frozen in place as panic for your safety exploded in his mind and terror gripped his undead heart. “Oh, and more thing.”_

_Damon looked up, his major freak out pausing just to listen to this last bit of information. “Now that she’s home, do make sure that she stay’s. My witch has placed a very powerful and rather expensive ward around Mystic Falls. You and the rest of the children may come and go as you please, even the Hunter Y/N brought with her may leave. But Y/N, well, let’s not test out what the witch said by _deadly results_ , eh?” A final sickening laugh escaped him before he was gone._

_Damon raised his hands and threaded both appendages through his hair, gripping the strands tight in a bruising hold. This was big. Too big for him to manage on his own. If he had any chance at saving you this time, he was going to need help. A lot of it. The older vampire untangled one hand from his head and reached into his pocket while lowering the other hand to rest over his brow._

_He unlocked the screen and opened the contacts, tapping on the green phone symbol once he found the right person and put it to his ear to wait. Damon had never wanted to rip off someone’s head as much as the son of a bitch that invented the dial-tone. Just as he was about to throw the damned thing into the woods, the other end picked up with a short, ‘Hello?’_

_“Bonnie! Listen, don’t hang up!” Damon rushed, and he knew that if he had a pulse it would be racing right now. “Damon? What’s wrong?” Bonnie sounded genuinely worried now, a far cry different from what she usually sounded like when talking to the vampire. “It’s um…”_

_Damon choked on his words and his other hand dropped down to press roughly against his eyes as they began to blur with tears. He exhaled, trying to free his airway for a moment to try again. “God, Bonnie its bad. Its so bad this time. I don’t know what to do.” He really didn’t. “Damon, calm down. Tell me what happened.”_

_Bonnie sounded like she was getting more and more worried on the other end and Damon stifled the hysterical laugh he wanted to release. ‘ _You have no idea…_ ’ “Bonnie I…” Damon stammered again and this time the hand over his eyes dropped down to his mouth where his elongated fangs sank deeply into the flesh around his knuckle. _

_He allowed the pain to ground him for a moment before he retracted the fang and shook out his bloodied fist before clenching it tight and pressing it against the opposite side of his head. “I need your help.” He was going to need everyone’s help._

_*End Flashback*_

_Damon had looked in all directions, but it had been pointless. The monster had left, and in his place Damon felt only cold rage. The older Salvatore’s insides burned with the need to tear something apart but he couldn’t afford to go Ripper again. You needed him in his right mind for what was to come._

_Damon’s arms around you tightened a bit more, but only slightly. He didn’t want to hurt you by crushing you. But it was so hard not to tug you into his chest and hold you as tight as possible to make sure that nothing could rip you from his arms ever again. To bury you beneath the protection of his own body so that he would take all the pain for you._

_Damon had noticed once again, living in Mystic Falls, being around him and the others had only drawn danger to you. From the only thing that none of them could stop._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, Questions, thoughts, comments, here?


End file.
